Irma's tale
by lost prince
Summary: AU story. Two boys read a myth book about medieval Meridian titled 'Irma's Tale: the Devil's Child or the Light of Meridian'.
1. A book

Irma's Tale

By Lost Prince

Summary: Two boys read a myth book about medieval Meridian titled 'Irma's Tale: the Devil's Child or the Light of Meridian'.

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H.

Chapter 1: Introduction (The Book)

Two boys were walking toward the library. They looked like your ordinary teenagers, blue jeans and colored T-shirts. The black haired one had a scowl on his face. "I hate that guy," He said looking to his brown-haired companion.

"I mean, come on, write a ten page essay on uncommon mythology. Why must it be uncommon? Does he like to torture us?"

His friend sighed and then answered him calmly, "If you were paying attention in class Ahmed, you would have known that the point was to make the students read, otherwise all of them will write about Hercules or stuff like that".

"What's wrong with writing about Greek mythology, Alex?" Replied Ahmed, looking annoyed.

"Nothing except its being over used and everybody knows everything about them," Answered Alex.

"So, where is the problem in that?" Ahmed asked, looking confused.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? Mr. Smith wants you to read and expand your knowledge".

"But ten pages, **TEN**, that's just torture, plain torturrrre." Whined Ahmed.

Alex looked at him with a tired expression and said, "Can you please give it a rest? It's not like we need to turn it in after 5 minutes. We have a week before our next class with Mr. Smith, we're just going to the library to take a look, pick a book. That's it O.K.?" He said the last part in a tired tone.

"Okay, okay already, shesh you like to talk a lot man, but I still tell you that I hate that guy".

Alex chose to ignore the last comment as they entered the library, then he turned to Ahmed, "I'll go and sit there while you go and pick a book, so I won't have to listen to you whining about how bad or boring my choices are".

Ahmed just smirks, "You know I'm right" and then he went to the mythology section and started to check the titles moving his finger across them.

"Let's see now, _The Journey for the Golden Eagle, The Path to the Hidden Jungle, The Truth of Flying Snake, The Story of Treasure Caves_."

He gave a small sigh, _"Man, can't they make the titles any less repulsive? I wish I've made Alex pick, then I would've nagged him about it, but he cornered me, that smart-knows-it-all, I'll sho…"_ but he didn't finish his though as thick leather book caught his eyes.

He didn't know why the book got his attention, because it was old (as in real old), big and green in color (all which he doesn't like). Yet still, he couldn't resist the urge to pick that book, which had no title at the side.

He picked the book and looked at the title, _Irma's Tale: the Devil's Child or the Light of Meridian_. He shrugged, took it and headed toward Alex, who seemed to be deep in thoughts.

"Thinking about Jenny, are we?" Asked Ahmed with a smirk.

Alex face turned a tinge of red and he stuttered, "Huh...Ahh...Sha...Just shut up Ahmed and show me the book you've picked".

Ahmed shoved the book in his face still smirking, when Alex saw the book, he raised an eye brow and took it with his right, "You really are in reading mood today, huh?"

"Oh just spare me your talk, will ya? I don't know what has gotten into me but I kind of felt as if it was calling me or something." He finished with an annoyed tone, his hand dismissing any further discussion.

Alex tried to keep a straight face, but was failing terribly. A vein started to throb visibly on Ahmed's temples "What's so funny?" at this, Alex lost control and laughed earning him a "Shhhh" from more than one of the people there.

"Sorry" He muttered then looked at Ahmed's still fuming face, "A book? Calling you? Man this got to be the end of the world".

"Oh knock it off already and let's read this damn book".

"Okay. Okay, here we go." Alex opened the book and started to read.

--

_Irma's Tale by Caleb Murmur._

_Preface_

_A lot of names have been given to her describing different parts of her life._

_She was known in her village as the Demon or the Cursed Girl._

_The knights of the Old Capital called her the Devil's Child._

_Her enemies called her the Ice Dancer._

_Known to many as a Guardian of the Queen._

_Known to more as the Light of Meridian._

_But very few knew of what she been through._

_Knew her by her name._

_Knew her as Irma Lair._

_This is the end result of five years of searching and investigating into the life of one of the Guardians, from her birth and till she joined them throughout their long journey that with its end, ended the chaos that plagued the land._

_This is the story of a child who was deserted by humanity, challenged by fate and emerged victorious._

_This is the tale of Irma Lair._

_Caleb 24__th__ , of the sun month ,525 DD_

_--_

AN: First of all I would like to thank my friends for their support and suggestions.

I would also like to thank my Betareader: Girl of Light Writer. Thank you.

I hope you like it. It's short, I know but this is just an intro, the next chapter would be better. Please leave a review. Thank you.


	2. History

Irma's Tale

By Lost Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H.

_Chapter One: History_

_'Our story begins long before the guardians were even born, back to the time of the great war and the emergence of the demon empire, under the necromancer, and what horror he brought …'_

It began 95 years ago ( at year 430 DD ), when he stumbled upon the art of necromancy and got known by the name of Lord Cedric. He used to be every girls dream, an almost prince charming. We say almost because even though he was tall with blue eyes and long golden hair, he wasn't a prince. His looks also made him appear weak, being thin with yellow skin. Nevertheless, from his early childhood, kids and adults both feared him alike. He always had an evil aura around him, which was reflected clearly in his eyes, they showed his lust for power, domination, and control and when he found the cursed book, he found a way to realize his ambition.

He gathered an army made of demons, undead, werewolves and vampires and started a war in aim to conquer the entire continent of Metamoor.

At that time, Metamoor was divided and torn between several small nations, fighting among themselves for whatever reason, which made it easier for Cedric and his army to submit Metamoor to his will.

He started his invasion on the northern countries, which fell fast under the undead army, and declared the foundation of the Dark Empire, and that all the others should submit to his rule, or they shall face a fate worse than death.

Seeing this, the rest of the countries decided to forget about their trivial problems, and to take a stand in face of this threat.

They united and formed a new nation, which got known later on as the Holy Kingdom of Meridian, and with that the humans army (wizards of the north, rangers of the south, ninjas and knight from the central area) got the upper hand, and it looked like as if victory was assured to be for the human army.

But no matter how much they tried to kill Lord Cedric, he just came back from the dead, as if he was immortal.

No matter how much of his army they killed, he just raised the bodies of their dead comrades to do his bidding, it was an endless cycle of death.

After 20 years ( 450 DD ), they managed to find a way to stop this madness, and a powerful wizard placed a strong curse on the Necromancer, sealing his magical power, but still they couldn't kill him, so they trapped him in a cave and sealed the entrance.

With the fall of the leader, the Dark Empire and all of the undead army just broke apart and spread throughout the land, taking a hiding place in the forests and caves, and even thought they sometimes attack the near villages, it was nothing that the local guards couldn't handle.

Metamoor was now united under the rule of the Holy Kingdom, and just as the people had thought that the days of peace had returned, a prophesy was made, shattering that dream and putting the people at the edge, in constant fear and anticipation.

The prophecy stated, "When the three great stars form a line in the sky, the demon shall walk the lands once again, but in a new form that can't separate him from his preys the humans, only the snake traits shall revel his true identity.

Wherever he goes, death and destruction followed, and he shall bring the land to chaos once again, until the seven colored light fills the castle following the sacrifice of the light of meridian, which shall be the end of his terror for all eternity".

The thing that made the people more scared is that these stars make a line every five years, so they started preparing for the next war immediately.

The thing is, the war didn't happen, and the Necromancer stayed looked up in his cave for more than 30 years ( up to 480 DD ).

Slowly, with the restoration of the cities and the prosperity of the Meridian, the prophecy seemed less than likely to occur. After 45 years (at 495 DD), it became a bedtime story to scare the kids, but for the elderly, those who witnessed the death of their loved ones, the destruction of their homes, there is always this small chance, that it may come true the next time, it is always in their mind.

At the year 500 DD, an earthquake had shaken the northern area, and when the local villagers came to see the damage it left, to their horror, they found the entrance to the cave that seals the Necromancer demolished, with no trace of the said demon.

_'After 50 years of being looked up in the cave, Lord Cedric has managed to escape, and is free to roam the land once again.'_

--

AN: First of all, I would like to thank all the readers and especially XV-Dragon, who took part of his time to review. Thank you.

I would also like to thank my friends in enduring my ever long talk about this story. What would I do without you guys.

Finally, I would also like to thank Girl of Light Writer for Betareading this chapter.

Well, that's about it for the second chapter, and the calendar thing is just something that I made up that has no meaning. But for the curios, DD stands for Dalton Death (which led to the divided Metamoor), as for the number of years given in this chapter, well it is there to make it like how a documentary report would look like, and to keep you with the flow of the events, not that big of a deal.

The next chapter will be a blast in every aspect, I can promise you that. Stay tuned and leave a review please. Thank you.


	3. Mistake's Price

Irma's Tale

By Lost Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H.

"What are you two reading ?" Asked a voice from behind the boys. Alex's head snapped up looking at the source of the voice, "Jenny?"

A slightly chubby teenage girl put her small black bag on the table in front of them. She was clad in a red top and blue skirt. Her wavy brown hair reflecting nicely on her pale face as she took her seat opposite to Alex. "Hi guys, what are you reading?" She asked again.

Alex stuttered and his face gaining a red tinge to it, "Ahh...um ..."

"We are doing our sentence, oh excuse me, our homework for Mr. Smith, on gathering info's on uncommon mythology so that later on, we can write a ten page essay that most probably will get a D once he sees my name on it." Ahmed cut in, saving his friend with a sarcastic remark.

"If Ahmed gets less than a B, I'll throw myself from the school's roof." Alex said regaining his ability to think and talk normally.

Jenny smiled then asked Alex, "Is this his tenth complain or did you lose count as usual?"

Alex answered with a grin, "I lost count long time ago".

Ahmed made a hurt expression and said, "And here I thought my friends would care for me".

They all laughed quietly, then Jenny said, "Guess I'm lucky that I don't have Mr. Smith, huh?"

"**You have no idea.**" Ahmed replied, emphasizing his point, slamming his head on the table.

"Oh be quite you, every class except math and science is boring to you." Alex said with an accusing finger.

"Well duh, they are the only classes that make sense. The rest are just...ahh...how do I put it...words fail to describe my feeling of boredom and misery." The last part was said in a dramatic way with pose and all.

"What did I do to deserve this?" Alex asked no one in particular, shaking his head sideways.

"Life never gets boring near you two, huh?" Jenny stated with a chuckle.

They both grinned and Ahmed said, "Wait till you see us play a game".

"By the way Jenny, you didn't say why you're here." Alex questioned her.

"Well, you do know that I'm the one in charge of the school's paper, and to tell you the truth, we're just out of ideas and have nothing to write for the next week, so I thought I might find something of interest in the library," then she pointed to the book, "Anything interesting in there?"

"Well, we just started reading and didn't go past the first chapter, but it looks promising," said Alex, while Ahmed nodded his head in approval.

"I didn't know that Ahmed approved your choice of books Alex." Jenny said looking surprised.

Alex snickered, and a scowl formed on Ahmed's face.

Jenny looked puzzled at the boys "What?"

He laughed. "Would you believe me if I told you that it was Ahmed who picked the book?"

She turned her gaze at the said boy "And you say history is boring".

"He said the book called him," Alex laughed again.

At this, she gave Ahmed a questioning look and just as she was about to open her mouth, Ahmed cut her off, "**Don't…even…start**, Alex gave me enough **teasing** for the **whole** **year**, thank you very much".

Alex snickered again and Ahmed said, "I would like it if we stopped picking on me, and continue reading please".

"Can't you first give me a summary of what happened in the first chapter?" Asked Jenny.

"Well it goes like this, you see…" Ahmed started but was interrupted by Alex. "A power crazed necromancer wanted to take control of the world, got imprisoned for 50 years, and then escaped".

"You know, when you put it that way, it sounds way too boring." Ahmed said annoyed.

"You're just pissed that you didn't get to tell the story in your, way too long exaggerating way." Alex replied smirking.

"Well, at least mine is more fun." Was Ahmed's comeback, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"Okay I get it, now can you boys just stop it so we can read?" Jenny said in an attempt to prevent any further bickering.

They each gave the other a look that said 'I'm not done yet', but Ahmed gave the book to Alex, who opened at chapter two and started to read.

--

_' Chapter two: Mistake's Price_

_Minister David Black said:_

_...I had known that some mistakes would lead to some kind of a problem, but for a mistake to lead to this kind of an outcome. It was as if all hell broke loose, it was a massacre, a massacre I tell you...' _

Once word spread of Lord Cedric has escaped, the generals of Holy Army of Meridian dispatched a unit to investigate the truth of the said news, but as a precaution, they issued a search party at the same time to track down anyone who had snake traits, no matter how little the said traits are.

The investigation didn't bring anything new; he just disappeared without any trace.

As for the search party, they brought some people who were too thin, (looked like snake), those who talked oddly (talk like snake), or those who limped (the unit said that they leave a trail in the sand similar to that of a snake). In the end all turned to have to no relation to the Necromancer in any possible way.

One bit of news they brought had something to it. After two weeks of the escape, a child was born in Heatherfield Village -the nearest area to the cave- who had a birthmark on its neck that resembled the head of a snake, and according to the villagers, the child brought bad luck to the village from her first hour.

However, no actions were taken to look into this matter, because the child was the daughter of one colonel, soon to be General ' Tom Lair '. He defended his daughter furiously, saying that a birth mark isn't a trait, and if they don't have anything else, it is considered a closed case, and he demanded to cut the tongue of anyone who talks about ' Irma' in that manner.

Even though the subject was dropped officially, some people would still talk about the cursed girl and how she should be dealt with. While people were searching for Cedric all over the land, he was in his hiding place, under the ground of the forest area in the south, thinking on how to free himself of the curse that had been place on him 50 years ago.

Even thought he had escaped his prison, he still felt chocked, for the curse acts as a suppressor to his magical energy, putting a limit to his ability to use spells and other stuff that use magical energy, meaning he can only use 5 of his original capacity.

He didn't even manage teleporting himself from the cave entrance to his chamber in one go, and hence, he is reading from one book to another, desperate to find a counter spell.

He never thought that the curse would still be in effect after 50 years, let alone limiting him to this degree.

After searching all of the books he had, he felt annoyed.

He didn't manage to find a counter spell in any books of his huge collection, though he did find a way to remove the curse. The problem is he must find a very strong mage to do so. With his limited power, he can't force such mage, and due to his reputation, none will help him, even if he asked nicely or begged, so the only way left was trickery, and that meant a lot of hard work and careful planning, hence the bad mood he was in.

After resting awhile, he decided to go to the surface and search Meridian for a strong mage. So he disguised himself as a mute old man, for he knew his way of talking and his forked tongue, would give him away instantly, with the prophecy being put on every wall in Meridian, he didn't want to take any chances.

In the meantime, a small girl was celebrating her birthday without a care in the world. She had fair complexion like all others who were there. She had straw-colored hair and wearing a light blue dress that went nicely with her blue eyes. The birthday party was held in her room in Kandrakar, the royal palace of the new capital of Meridian. For today, Elyon Brown, would be two, and she'd celebrate it along with her family and their friends.

Queen Weira and Prince Phobos were standing on her sides as she blew out the candles. They had the same hair and eye color as her, as if it was a mark of royalty. The Queen was wearing a royal blue dress, her hair made in a bun, fixed around the crown. While the Prince's hair was straight, reaching a little below his shoulders falling freely behind him with the exception of two braids that came in front of the red robe that he wore.

Other than The Royal Family, a few people also had some of the spotlight:

Minister David Black and Captain Adam Kareem were chatting with some of the guests. The minister was the Queen's right hand, and her trustworthy advisor, as well as one of the few people that the Prince respected. He was a little bit full and somewhat short dressed in a white robe, but his graying short hair and trimmed beard combined with his deep black eyes gave him the look of true wisdom.

On the other hand, his black haired friend was radiating alertness. Captain Kareem's honey-colored eyes were sharp and piercing, noticing every moment that occurred in the big hall. He was ready to jump into action if the situation called for it. Hours spent in the sun left its mark on his skin and with him wearing the knight's silver armor with a dark blue cape that swooshed behind him gave him all the more of an intimidating look. After all, you can't become the Queen's Personal bodyguard if you weren't made of the right material, or well equipped for that matter which he was, as the tip of a silver spear decorated by red rubies can be seen over his cape.

A thin man was standing near the queen also held an air of importance; he was the Duke of the old capital Arkhanta, Harold Hale. While he shared the blue eye color and light green outfit with his small family, he differed from them in the hair color, where he has short brown hair, his wife Elizabeth and daughter Cornelia both had long blond hair.

Not many would believe he is the strongest and richest man in all of Meridian, but looks can be deceiving. Being a smart strategic with leadership skills gave him command over The Knights of Arkhanta, the elite unit of meridian's army, as well as the Ninjas in the central area. And even though he was a kind ruler that most Arkhanta citizens loved and respected, there were rumors going on that he is plotting to take over the country whole.

But in the moment, all of the guests were enjoying their time in this grand birthday party that the Prince threw in Elyon's name, it had jesters, musicians and all.

Not that it mattered to Elyon, because at the age two, all she cared about was the cake, gifts and playing with her friend Cornelia.

Nor that it was for showing their high status, for the number of guests was to those who were close to the royal family and some servants who Elyon grew attached to, all of which knew the status of the royal family.

It was as if he was trying to busy them from the bad news of the prophecy, from the huge responsibility that fell on their shoulders, from this crisis, trying to lift the mood a little.

It had been tough on Queen Weira, especially since she was still having difficulty to cope with the death of her husband, King Zaden. He had died two months ago due to some illness, adding that to the escape of Cedric, and that she is now 43, which meant that she had to give up her throne in less than seven years and most importantly after what she heard from the Minister, Sir Black.

For you see, there are a few rules in the Royal Brown Family, or traditions would be a better term. These traditions state that only a Queen can rule the kingdom, and that she must give up the throne if she reaches the age of 50 years, in order to keep peace and prosperity to Meridian.

Three years ago, the council held a meeting to discuss the future of Meridian, for there was no heir to the throne except the 14 years old prince Phobos, and according to the law (or traditions) of Meridian, he can't rule the kingdom, but in ten years the queen will have to give up the throne, and somebody has to take charge.

After a long and heated discussion, a decision was made to announce that after 200 years of the Brown Family Queens ruling one of the northern kingdoms, and 50 years of ruling over meridian, Prince Phobos will be the first king to ascend the throne in the Royal Brown history.

Prince Phobos was expecting this result, for he has been working hard, trying to prove his worth in every possible way, from proving his self to be a powerful mage, being a pupil under the Elders for political lessons, to attending all of their boring discussions. In the end, it was worth all the trouble, for he would be the future king of Meridian.

However, when the Queen had Elyon, two years ago, that raised some issues, since she is the rightful heir to the throne, and will still be a child when the queen gives up her throne, there was an argument on which law should be broken.

Make Phobos king and break the first law but keeping the second, or extend the queens rule till Elyon is of proper age, thus breaking the second law in favor for the first one. They kept arguing but no decision has been reached, and they stated that the matter will be decided when the queen reaches the age of 50.

As of lately, Sir Black told her some rumors that caused her a great deal of distress. Rumors that the council will probably strip the prince of his title, in favor of Elyon, a thing that the young prince won't take lightly, and being young, she feared that he may act rashly, and do something he may regret later on.

He told her that it would be better if she was to prepare him for the worst, and that he shouldn't keep his hopes too high.

She had been trying to tell him for the past month, but she couldn't bring herself to break his heart, to tell him that all his hard work was for nothing. She heard him number of times dreaming of making this land a better place, and how he would do this or that. She didn't find the strength to shatter these dreams, and now when she looked at him, laughing with his sister, doing a magical trick of some sort with his hands, her heart ached.

Deciding that she will talk to the council to rethink their decision later on after the party, but as for now, she will enjoy the party that Phobos put so much effort in preparing.

A knight stood by the entrance of the hall holding a message in his hand. Kareem noticed this and made his way out of the hall.

Outside the party room, the knight saluted him "Captain Kareem, sir".

"At ease. What's going on?" Asked the Captain.

"We have a message from the southern area sir, it is directed to the Queen, requesting a quick army for reinforcements sir." Said the soldier, handing him the message.

"I'll take it from here, you're dismissed." Ordered the Captain and as the soldier walked away. Kareem scanned the letter and went inside.

The Captain knew that the aim of this party was to distract the Queen from all this madness, so he went to The Duke and the Minister.

"Excuse me your Excellency, Sir Black. There is an urgent matter that needs your attention." He said in a hushed voice, then he added as a second thought, "It involves Cedric sir". Not to bring any unwanted attention, all three men made their way to the next room as quietly as they could. But it didn't go unnoticed by the prince.

They followed the bodyguard to the closed room, "What is it that you got?" Asked the Minister.

"The rangers in the south areas have reported an increase in the number of the demons, and in the frequency they attack the villages, requesting aid from the royal knights army as fast as possible." Stated the captain in a calm lazy tone.

"How much is the aid they requested?" asked the Duke.

"Five units, four at least your Excellency." He replied in the same tone of voice.

"WHAT? That's like half of the knights; they can't be serious now, can they?" Sir Black all but shouted, and as if on cue, the Prince entered the room looking alarmed "What's going on here?" He asked the gathered men.

The Captain saluted. "We were discussing what to answer the request of the rangers from the south, in which they need at least four units of the knights to aid them in their battle with the demons, after the rise in their number and activity, your highness." He said it in the same calm lazy tone.

The prince, who was used to this man and his annoying way of speech, answered him, "Send six units away at once".

"But your highness, you know we can't afford to send four units of the knights, let alone six to aid the rangers, half of the knights are searching for lord Cedric all over the land, and the other half is put on alert, ready to any sudden attack on Kandrakar, which could happen at any moment." Replied the Minister.

"I know all that, as I do know that there has been no lead whatsoever on anything concerning this matter, this is the only bit of news that may hold something, and for all we know, that Necromancer could be the cause for all this." Answered the Prince annoyed.

"Why do the rangers want five units Captain?" Duke Hale asked, ignoring the argument that is going on around him.

The Captain smirked "They need two units to protect the road from the south and up to the old capital, one unit to help them evacuate some of the villagers near the forests where most of the attacks occur, and three unit to be put on hold on the front lines, just in case."

"WHAT? THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS," The Prince shouted in fury.

"That's it?" The Duke asked calmly, and the Captain nodded as an answer.

"Tell them that we can only send them two units at this moment, one to help them evacuate, while the other will protect the road to' Redstone' city, where lays the Ninjas headquarters. There they can hire some ninjas to help them with the other tasks, and the council will help to pay for the ninja services, if that's all right with you gentlemen." Duke Hale directed the last part of his speech to both men in front of him.

"WHAT?" The Prince looked beyond shocked at this, "You want our Elite Unit in the Army, the Royal Knights, to work as some watch boys to those arrogant rangers? And pay for mercenaries, they would hire? This is pure madness." Stated Phobos still shaking with rage.

"My Prince, what Duke Hale offered seems very reasonable to me, you see..." But the Minister wasn't able to finish his sentence, for the Captain cut him in mid sentence.

"Allow me the talk, old man." He said. Then looked at the Prince "Listen Prince, it's like this, the rangers have high pride, and don't know how to ask for help, and if they did ask, that means that this matter is real serious".

"By serious, you mean putting the Knights on watch duty, or putting them as a backup plan just in case?" Phobos said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes to both actually, the watch duty as you like to call it, is of the utmost importance; to ensure a safe line that connects the southern areas to Arkhanta, so we can send supplies and reinforcements if needed. And they can flee by the same way if things get even worse. It prevents them from being isolated in case of a siege. As for being a backup plan, that is a 'show off' strategy, to make the demons afraid to attack, thus giving the rangers the time they need to evacuate the front lines of villages, and lay traps in their place, prepare ambushes, but like the minister pointed out, we can't afford to give them all the support they need, but with hiring ninjas, this problem is solved."

The Prince seemed to think this through when the Captain said to him. "We await your orders, your highness." In a serious tone, gone all the laziness and boredom from his face, and it was replaced by the military business-like expression.

"Minister Black, you are in charge of this matter, do whatever you see fit, that is all." Phobos stated.

"As you order your Highness," It was said in a slight bow, and as the Prince was heading outside, he heard him say. "Now Duke Hale, if you could help me with..." The sound got faint as he exited the room.

--

The rangers managed to defend their villages successfully, but the demons started to change targets. Every few months, the demons would attack another part of the country, focusing on some city or village for some time, then move to another. The last target was the new capital, and after that the demons returned to attack the southern areas again, only this time, the rangers had their defenses ready for them, and held them at bay.

(Caleb's note_ : 'It is just a theory of mine, but maybe the increase in the demons, and the frequency of attacking on some village, then changing to another, can be explained by the prophesy, as following Lord Cedric from one city to the other, in his search for the strong mage. Since his base is hidden in the south, that would explain why it was the first and the most area under attack. Of course, this is all just my speculations though'_.)

Even thought not one month would pass without a raid or two from the demons, on the villages of the south, people got used to it and continued to live their lives. But with the continuous attacks, poverty spread through most of the kingdom, and now bandits came as the first threat, then comes the demons and the rest of the other disasters.

--

Seven years had passed and now in Kandrakar, the faithful day has finally come. The council would start his closed meeting with the Queen, and give its final decision today on which of the rules would be broken.

The guests, along with Prince Phobos and Princess Elyon, who grow up to be a pretty and kind young lady, were waiting in the Great Hall, located in the second floor. Its northern wall has a set of chairs for the Royal family and the council members, while a big fireplace is located on the southern wall, and has a set of golden doors on each of the remaining walls, leading to a set of stairs, that would lead you directly to the east and west main gates of the palace.

The tables were filled with every kind of drink and food, and the hall was well decorated and you can see the blue eagle, the insignia of the Meridian, on every wall and table.

It took some time but then the Queen came in, followed by the council members, and once they all took their seats, an old man from the council, who appeared to be in his late sixties wearing green robe, stood up and faced the crowd.

Sir Edward, head of the council, after he coughed a little and gained everyone's attention, started the speech: "People of the Holy Kingdom of Meridian, we have all gathered here to tell you the final decision, on the matter of the future ruler to this kingdom, and this is what we came with…" He looked at the people in front of him and the Prince, took a deep breath and continued.

"…We, The Council of The Holy Kingdom of Meridian, hereby deem that, Prince Phobos Brown, unfit to rule over the throne of the kingdom, thus losing his title as the heir to the throne to Princess Elyon Brown. However since the princess is still short of age, we will allow in this exceptional situation, to extend the duration of Queen Weira Brown's rule over Meridian for six more years. At that time Princess Elyon will be instated as the new Queen. That is all." Just as he finished, people started whispering among themselves.

"Unfit." The Prince said in a low voice shaking his head sideways, then he raised his head and addressed the man in front of him in a load commanding voice. "What do you mean by **unfit**, councilor?"

"Your highness, you know the traditions of Meridian, it must be ruled by a Queen." he answered.

"The same traditions that states that once a Queen reaches the age of 50 she must step down, but that didn't stop you from changing the traditions did it? You just do what you see is better for you, **Edward.**" He spat the name out.

"I know you can get what you want from the council, especially after my father died, this kingdom was practically ruled by you and your group, and all the bad things that happened since then and this kingdom's poverty is your doing".

Sir Edward went into a stage of shock, Minister Black emerged from the crowd and rushed to the old man trying to calm him, while Captain Kareem stood in front of Phobos "Prince, that's enough".

But the Prince ignored him and continued his speech "And when Little Elyon becomes the Queen, she won't know what to do, and you will manipulate her as you wish".

The Minister's attempts to defuse the situation were futile, as the old man's shock turned into rage and he shouted while shaking "How dare you say that, you know nothing on how to run a kingdom".

"I know better than to be a blood-sucking traitor." He replied.

"YOU DARE QUASTION MY LOYALITY YOU INSOLANT BRAT".

"I AM YOUR PRINCE, KNOW YOUR PLACE VAMPIRE".

"**ENOUGH.**" The Queen's shout put the room in complete silence.

"You have gone far enough by accusing Sir Edward, whom I made the head of the council, and I will not tolerate such disrespect to my council members or my decisions." She finished.

"I didn't mean any disrespect to you mother, I was just..." But the queen cut him off. "I don't have a son that does this kind of behavior".

Then she raised her head a little and ordered. "Guards, throw this man out of this hall immediately." Pointing her hand at Phobos, then at the door.

Everyone was dumbstruck, no body made a move.

The Queen faced the guards to her right. "I said throw him out, NOW." Her shout snapped the guards out of their momentary daze, saluted and went to the prince who was still stunned.

Once the guards put their hands on Phobos's shoulder, he snapped back to reality and pulled his arm. "Take your hands off of me." He shouted.

He looked at his mother, his face showing a mixture of anger, pain, and betrayal, and then he said to the guards, "I can find my way." With that, he stormed out of the hall.

Most of the people were still having difficulty believing what just happened in front of them, when Sir Edward spoke quietly "Got what he deserved".

Apparently he didn't say it quietly enough, for the Captain stepped toward the man, his face clearly showing anger, his hand moving back to his spear's handle "Why I ought to..." but Minister Black held his hand in front of him and shock his head 'no'.

When the Captain seemed calm enough, the Minister faced the Queen and bowed "My Queen, you must be tired from the commotion that happed, if you would like, we can let Sir Edward continue with whatever needs to be done".

The Queen looked at the Minister and gave a heavy sigh. "I think I will retire to my chamber." When she looked up and saw the Minister was still bowing face down along with Captain Kareem, she knew what they wanted and gave another sigh "Minister Black, Captain Kareem, I have some matters that I need to discuss with the both of you".

Both men looked up "As you order, your highness", and all three went to the Queen's Chamber.

Just when the door closed, the captain turned to the Queen. "You know, you could've just ordered the guard to kill him; that would be less humiliating".

"Adam, I'm not in the mood for you right now." She said rubbing her temples.

"You went overboard by what you did." He waved his hand in front of him as he said that.

"HE SHOULD'VE SHOWN HIS RESPECT TO ME!" She screamed, her eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill, then she couldn't hold it and started to sob.

Adam gave a sigh as he dropped his hands to his sides, his head hanging down, then he turned his gaze to his friend with a look, asking for his help.

Sir David coughed a little, then said quietly, "My Queen" and waited until she looked him in the eye.

"We know you didn't mean what you said, but what you did hurt the Prince more than what Sir Edward did." He then glanced at Kareem, who nodded his head to continue.

The minister then looked back to the queen and said, "You didn't have to disown Prince Phobos in front of everyone like that".

"I didn't mean it like that, I...I just..." She turned her face from the men in front of her and said in a low voice "I don't know what gotten into me, it's just that, the things he said, I...I..."

She paused a little, took a deep breath in, and continued in a shaky voice, still facing the wall. "After the death of my husband... it was my most inner fear...That people would think that I have a weak personality...That people would think that my council takes advantage of me...Uses me...And when Phobos said it in front of everyone like that... I just kinda of lost my mind for a second." Then she looked at both men with a tear stained face. "Oh, what have I done? What have I done?"

Just as Sir Black was about to say something, a loud sound echoed in the palace, then the ground shook a little.

"What's that?" Asked Sir Black, looking at the captain.

"It sounded like an explosion. I'll go see what happened, stay here with her Majesty" and with that, the captain rushed outside.

--

_Back to when Phobos stormed out of the hall _

He headed to his chamber, through the empty corridor, shaking the ground with every step he took.

He reached his chamber, went through the open door and slammed it behind him, and started to talk to himself "How dare that ol-". He stopped at mid sentence as he turned his head and stared at the door for a second as realization struck him.

There were no guards stationed in the hallway, and the door to his room was opened.

Alarmed, he readied his magic, red flames covering his hands, and turned around and saw something he didn't notice the first time he entered the room.

Across of the room, a young blond-haired male in brown cloak, sitting on a chair leaning forward, his pale face resting on his left hand; which was at the window's edge.

He was staring out of the window when he said, "Nice view you have here", then he stood up and looked him in the eye. His cold blue eyes sending shivers down the prince's spine, after a moment of silence, he said. "But of courssse, it would be more beautiful, if it was under your rule, your highnessss." A forked tongue is seen escaping his lips with some words.

The former Prince took a step back, his flames are all gone, and his face showing his fear as he said. "Y-You're him".

The young man bowed down, one knee to the ground "Forgive me your highnessss, I am but one of your loyal subjects that couldn't ssstay put at the injustice that been inflected upon you, your highnessss".

"Y-Your here to kill me aren't you? Just like how you killed the guards out there". He said as he took another step back.

Then he swooshed his hands in front of him, as flames reappeared, covering him whole this time and said "Well I am Prince Phobos, and I never go down without a fight. So come and try if you dare." His eyes daring the Necromancer to make the slightest move.

Cedric smirked and said, "You have just been disssowned by the Queen, you are no longer a prince, let alone heir to the throne. What would I gain from killing sssomeone like you?"

Phobos got enraged by this, and just as he was about to strike him, Cedric stood up and said. "I am here to make your wish come true".

Phobos got confused by this, but didn't let his guard down "What do you mean by that?"

Cedric looked Phobos in the eye and said "I am here to give you your birth right, to let you have revenge on those who lied and humiliated you. I am here to announcess you as the true king of Meridian, once and for all."

Phobos flames died down as he got interested by what he heard, "But how could you do that? I am no longer a prince." He reminded the man in front of him.

Cedric's eyes shone and he held a dark purple orb in his hand, then let it float in front of Phobos. "Power, power grantsss you what you wish for, and with it, you will force them to make you the king".

Phobos looked at the swirling orb and asked "What's this?"

"This is the power of Necromancy, and with it I almossst conquered all Metamoor, so making them rethinking their desscision won't be a problem." He smirked as he said the last part.

"And if they still refused?" Phobos asked liking what he heard until now.

Cedric waved his right "Why sssimply just kill them all, along with Elyon and the Queen, then there won't be anyone **fit **to rule this kingdom but you".

Phobos seemed to think for a second, then he shook his head "No, this is wrong".

Cedric came from behind him and said, "What is wrong, is for the Queen to disssown you like that. What is wrong, is for her to humiliate you the way she did".

Then he moved to his other side "What is wrong, is for the council to make her ssstay on the throne, and then put that child Elyon, as the heir inssstead of you, you the one who did everything you could to ensure the better future of this kingdom, and thisss is how they repay you?".

He was now standing in front of him, he moved his hand and brought the orb in front of Phobos face. "With this, you can correct all that is wrong, and all of Meridian will bow down to you as itsss true ruler."

A small smile played on Phobos's face when Cedric said the last sentence. Making up his mind, he reached to the purple orb, and just before his fingers touched it, he stopped and withdrew his hand. "Where's the catch? There is no such thing as free money, and there is definitely no such thing as free power and kingdom," giving Cedric a suspicious look.

"There is no such thing as a catch my dear prince. I'm simply returning what is rightfully yours," He said bowing his head a little.

Phobos looked at him skeptical, "And you would do that because...".

Cedric smiled and said "If I told you that it was an act, out of love that wouldn't sound right now, would it ?".

Then he turned his head to his side and a distant look was in his eye, "I know what it is like to lose everything you were working so hard to get, I have wanted to rule over Metamoor, and ssspent most of my life planning how I would do that, and then jussst after the first step, everything fell apart, and I lossst it all, I have lossst my power, lossst my freedom, I have lossst everything, and there is nothing left for me, nothing but this little bit of knowledge that I kept, and my final wish is that it won't go extinct, and that my legacy shall not be forgotten".

Then he looked at Phobos, "I have sssearched the lands in the past seven years, looking for sssomeone to carry all of this, and my search have lead me to you Phobosss. You are the only one who understands this kind of ssstuff, and not label them as cursed magic or demon actsss."

Then he took a step towards Phobos, the orb moving in front of him, "You were destined to carry on my legacy, destined to take thisss power, as you were destined to rule over Meridian. You sssaid that you don't go down without a fight, didn't you?" He raised the orb a little, "Fulfill your destiny, and take your rightful place as Meridian's absssolute Ruler".

Phobos finally gave in to the temptation of power, and took the orb in front of him.

Once his fingers touched the glowing orb, it started to swirl around his right arm, up to his shoulder and all around him, and in its trail, his arm is covered in flames, which they started to change their color from its fiery red, to dark purple, then turned to black flames.

The flames covered the right half of his body, then moved on and covered the other half.

While Phobos was watching his hands, a crazed look in his eyes, and maniac laugh escaping from him, Cedric didn't look that happy.

_"The flames didn't cover him whole with one go, only one half at a time, he still needs more energy so that I can remove the curse."_ He thought to himself, as the flames died down around the Ex-Prince.

Cedric bowed to the prince. "If you would like, you can test your new powersss on the prisoners in the lowessst floor. From there, you can attack the great hall, and make the council under your command, but before that," He then took out his right from within his cloak, and held an old black leather book to Phobos. "This is the necromancy book, it will help to master all of its ssspells and artsss, and show you how to increase your magical power and energy".

Phobos then looked to Cedric, gone the look of the caring and loving prince, and in its place was the look of a power crazy man. "You mean that this is not its extent? That what I feel now, is only a part of it?" He said as he took to the book offered to him.

Cedric smiled "Thisss book can increase your magical energy to levelsss, no man has ever reached before".

Then he bowed one last time and said "I mussst take my leave now, I have taught you everything you need, and the ressst is on you" With the last word, he teleported, vanished from the prince's sight.

The Ex-Prince looked from the book to the place where Lord Cedric was in just a second ago. He raised his hand, a black fireball forming in his palm, and said in a low voice, "I will play along with your plan for now, but once I figure it out, you'll be the one to play in my hands, demon".

Then the fire swooshed around him and vanished as he turned around "But for now, my loyal army awaits me in their cells." With that, he marched out of the room.

Once he reached the entrance he ordered the guards, "Open up, I have some questions for these bandits". The guards immediately saluted. (The news of the Queen disowning him didn't reach them), and they opened the iron door to Phobos and just as one of them was about to follow him inside, Phobos turned to the guard, and gave him a threatening look as he said in an ordering tone. "You will stay here and lock this door, I want to ask them without any disturbance".

The other guard was about to protest when Phobos said, "**Do I make myself clear**", fire dancing in his eyes.

"Y-Yes, Yes Sir" Both guards answered, and did as they were told.

Phobos walked into central area of the prison that held around 200 prisoners and shouted, gaining the attention of everyone there. "WHO WANTS TO BE FREE?"

Everyone was quiet, and the heads turned to see the one who said this.

"WHICH OF YOU SWEAR TO SERVE ME, PRINCE PHOBOS, AND I SHALL GRANT HIM FREEDOM?" He shouted again.

The prisoners started talking among themselves and one of them said in a mocking tone "Like we would believe something like that".

Phobos looked to the man who spoke and said, "Just like I have put you there, I can get you out. All you have to do is prove your loyalty to me, and I swear it on my name, that I will set you free".

The prisoner seemed to think about this for a second, then he said "What do I have to do?"

Phobos extended his hand in front of him and said with a grin on his face. "Nothing, all you have to do is die." A black fireball hit the prisoner face square on, who fell on the ground, writhing and crying out in pain. When the fire died down, he was laying still on the ground, all of his facial features gone away with the man's soul.

Phobos then turned to the entrance of the prison, and when he saw no attempt on the guards side to see what is going on, despite the ruckus the prisoners were doing, his grin widened, and turned to the trapped screaming men, a crazed look in his eyes, and started burning everything in sight, and when all of them were dead. He summoned the book to his hand from a flame, after chanting something unintelligible.

He started flipping through the book "Ah, here it is. Oh, I forgot to leave some of them alive to test the other spells on, oh well". He then raised his head and closed the book, which got engulfed by the flames and disappeared.

He then extended both of his arms and started to say the spell words, a ring of black flame surrounded him, and as he raised both arms, the ring expanded, reaching every corner, and as fast the fire came, it disappeared.

He lowered his hands and waited, and once he saw all the dead bodies stand up, he gave a small chuckle "Care to have some appetizers before the main course" then he went to the iron door and shouted "Guards, I am done, now open this door".

Once the guards opened the door, Phobos dove in between the two guards, turned around, and placed his hands on their chest plates, blasted them inside, where the zombies and skeletons started to have their first meal.

The necromancer raised his hand and all of the zombies stopped and looked at him as he said "Now for your next meal, we head for the great hall", all of the zombies gave a roar like sound, and they marched to the said hall, led by Phobos, who was laughing like a mad man.

--

Captain Kareem rushed the hallways, his eyes darting from one corner to another, searching for the cause of this chaos, till he saw some soldiers heading towards the great hall. He yelled for them, and once they saw who it was, they rushed to him and saluted, and the Captain didn't waste a second as he immediately asked, "What's going on?"

The leader of the small group answered, "It's P-Phobos Sir, Phobos is attacking us with a demon army".

The Captain shouted in disbelieve, "WHAT?"

"Yes sir, he made an army out of the bandits' corpses, and started attacking us. He blocked the west gate, wiped out the third and fourth squad, then he raised them from the dead, and right now, he and the majority of his army is headed towards the great hall." Finished the soldier.

The Captain nodded his head, "Alright then, follow me to the great hall" and all of them rushed there.

Once they reached the hall, they saw all of the council members and all the guest piled up at the wall, shaking, sobbing, some trying to comfort their loved ones, while others were holding their families and openly crying.

Princess Elyon was seen between them, soft sobs escaping her as she trembled in the embrace of one the maids, who was trying her best to calm her down, but failing miserably.

Around 30 soldiers were blocking and barring the west door with everything they can put their hands on, being that tables, chairs or any other kind of furniture.

Captain Kareem went to the soldiers "Lieutenant, what's the situation?"

The Lieutenant saluted. "It is bad sir, real bad, we can't fight them back, and this door can't hold them off for long, and it is even worse at the east gate, we had to blast the stairs that lead to the great hall to stop them from getting in here".

_'So that's the explosion we heard back there' _Kareem thought to himself.

One of the council members shouted, "Oh no, we're trapped." "We're all gonna die here." and the crying got higher.

The soldiers looked to the Captain "Captain?" Their eyes showing their despair.

Kareem turned to his men, a small smile on his face, it brought hope to the gathered men. He walked to the fireplace in the hall, and then he looked at two soldiers "You two, pull this fireplace out".

They did as told, and in its place, there was a long passage. The Captain then turned around "Everyone, theses secrete passages lead to an underground tunnel, which ends in the nearby forest to the south of here, so everyone just calm down, and will get you all out".

He then ordered the soldiers "Ten of you will lead the people here under the Lieutenant's command. The rest of you will organize them in a line and tail them from the rear. I'll go to the Queen, and all of us will meet at the forest, is that clear".

The soldiers saluted and then the Lieutenant and his group rushed inside followed by a line of people.

Just as Kareem was about to get out, Princess Elyon ran and threw herself at him hugging his waist "I w-want to see m-my mommy, p-please take me with you, **please**". She begged with a strained voice, red eyes and a tear stained face.

The captain knelt down and collected the young girl in an embrace. "Shhh. It's going to be alright." Then he stroked her head as he said, "You're a big girl now, big girls don't cry, okay". Once she calmed down a bit, he lifted her chin and looked her in the eye "But if want to come with me, you have to ask me in a princess fashion, and begging is not a princess's way to ask."

She backed up a little, wiped her tears off, and said, "I would like you to take me to my mother please".

Kareem bowed his head, "As you order your highness." Then a smirk appeared on his face. "Because of your crying, we are gonna have to hurry, so we can catch up to them", and he took her right in his left and they headed to the Queen's chamber.

On their way, he said to her in a calm slow manner, while his gaze was towards the hallway "Never beg again Princess, no matter what happens, always keep your head high, and be true to yourself, be true to what you believe in, what you stand for".

Then they stopped in front of a door that they both know too well, and once she saw it, she broke from his hand and ran inside crying out, "Mommy".

The Queen was pacing the room when her daughter came in, and immediately she hugged her. "Oh baby, I was so worried about you" Both of them started sobbing.

Sir Black, who was standing near the door, smiled warmly at the family reunion. Then he looked to his friend who just entered the room, with a serious expression on his face, an expression that sent fear into the old man's heart, but before he could ask anything. Kareem went straight to the fireplace in the room, pulled it out, showing the same passage, then he went to the Queen and knelt down, "I'm sorry my Queen, but we need to leave now".

"What is going on?" She asked feeling panicked.

"We need out as fast as possible, I'll tell you on our way." He said as he stood up and turned into the passage.

"We are under attack. It seems that Prince Phobos knows some necromancy, and right now, he has the castle surrounded by zombies. This is the only exit left." He said it as he was leading their way.

"What? That can't be true? Necromancy is a cursed lost magic, and my Phobos would never do something like that." The Queen heatedly returned.

_'People tend to do the strangest things when they feel desperate or betrayed'_ Thought Black to himself.

Elyon put a hand over her nose, and waved the other in front of her face "What's that smell? It **stinks**".

"That's the smell of roasted flesh, dear sister." Phobos's voice rang in the narrow passage, as he emerged from the shadows, blocking their way, a sadistic smile on his face. "And if you liked that, you're gonna love this." As he raised his arms, three burned corpses stood up, two zombies and one skeleton, and with a wave of his hand, they took their swords and attacked the small group.

Elyon shrieked and fell backwards; the adults were petrified, looking pale as ghosts, unable to comprehend what just happened in front of them.

The undead moved fast, and now they were an arm reach, Elyon shrieked again, snapping the adults back to reality, Kareem sliced one zombie with his spear, and blasted the other with a fireball from his left , while the Queen took the skeleton out, with a white ray that shot from her hand.

Sir Black went to the trembling Elyon and held her tight, as Phobos maniacal laugh echoed all around them.

Kareem looked at Phobos, anger evident in his eyes as he shouted. "Phobos, what happened to you? Yesterday you were the role model to everyone in the kingdom, everyone looked up to you, and now you're this crazy man who **murdered** **all of these people. What changed you?**" Some tears were running down his check at the end of his talk.

Minister Black said in a quite tone. "I know there is still good in you prince, and deep down you know what should be done".

Queen Weira looked to her son, a pained expression on her face, and said in a concerned tone "Honey this isn't you, snap out of it".

Since Kareem started his speech, Phobos stopped his laughter and lowered his face, so that his eyes were hidden from sight, and when the Queen finished, he raised his head, looked them in the eye, his eyes colder than ice. He snapped his fingers, the whole passage lit up with flames, showing the huge number of zombies behind Phobos and behind the Minister (being in the rear trying to protect Elyon), ready to strike at the first order from their master.

Phobos then raised his hand and said in low voice, "This is my answer".

Just before he lowered his hand, a strong light shone, blinding everyone, and they heard the Queen voice say "I hope one day all of you will forgive me". Black, Kareem and Elyon felt a magical energy coating them, and the Queen's voice was heard again. "I love you Elyon...David, Adam, my daughter is in your care".

Minister Black understood what was going on and shouted "No my Queen", but it was too late, for they were now teleported to the nearby forest, as the Queen's final words echoed in their heads, _"Save this kingdom...Save Phobos...From the demon's clutch...From my mistakes"_.

--

A meeting was held in the war council room in Arkhanta, where four out of the eight members were present at the moment. Duke Hale and General Lee, both who should have been at Kandrakar for the closed meeting, hadn't returned from their journey to check on the southern area, although they have sent a message saying that they should reach Arkhanta by tomorrow morning.

As for General Mark and General Philip, they still haven't returned from the mission of searching for Lord Cedric's whereabouts.

So that leaves the four Generals, General Raythor, General Frost, General Khor and General Gargoyle to have this meeting, and discuss any new information they have.

General Raythor was sitting at the head of the table. He appeared to be a skinny but muscular man, known for his tactics and impressive sword skills. At this moment he was the head of this meeting.

To the right of him sat General Khor, a prideful short old man with a short temper.

In front of him sat General Frost the brute, big, muscular, with shoulder length blond hair.

Lastly to his left was sound of reason in this group, General Gargoyle, a heavy bald man.

All of them were wearing the official outfit of a general, a silver knight armor, a feathered black helmet, and a black cape. Each of them commands a unit of the knights, the smallest of them consist of 1500 knights.

They were in the middle of the meeting, when the doors burst open, and a massager came running in.

Frost shouted "What's the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry General, but a soldier just came in from Kandrakar with urgent news sir." He then took a breath and said "Kandrakar, has fallen to the demons, sir".

Raythor stood up, knocking his chair backwards "What did you say?"

Khor shouted, "Bring that soldier here immediately".

The massager saluted, and in a moment, an injured soldier wearing Kandrakar's uniform, limped in, then he straightened his posture, saluted "Prince Phobos, after being disowned by the Queen, gathered an army of undead, trapped everyone in the tunnels, then the slaughter started. He killed most of the people in cold blood, and those that were lucky to survive the first attack, were taken prisoners".

Gargoyle asked "And how did you manage to get away?"

"I was left so I can deliver this letter sir" The soldier then limped to Khor and handed him a sealed letter.

Khor opened the letter and started to read it aloud. "It says: _To the fools who run Arkhanta instead of Hale: I, The Necromancer Phobos of the Royal Brown Family, have appointed myself as the new ruler over this kingdom this morning, since there is none of the royal family left to rule. You can try to avenge the death of whoever was there. I shall be at the main entrance of Kandrakar until sunset, waiting for you to submit to my rule, and surrender your pathetic excuse of army and city to my command, or you shall face the same fate that those who opposed me faced. _The nerves of ...GRRRAHH." Khor was shaking with rage as he crumpled the paper and tossed to the ground.

Frost slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "I say we go right now and show that scum his place, show him his true worth".

"We are the Knights of Arkhanta, the Elite Unit of Meridian's army and its pride, we shall not let the death of our Queen go **unavenged.**" Khor shouted with rage.

Gargoyle said from his seat, eyes closed. "We also don't lead our men to their death General, this is obviously a trap".

Frost replied heatedly "We can take on any trap he lays in our path, we will **crush** him, and make his trap** his grave.**" His hand was forming a fist with at the end of his talk, then his head snapped to the injured soldier "Who much is his army?"

"I would say 300, 500 at max sir".

Khor spoke gruffly "My unit alone can take him down, but I know you want revenge on him too". He then looked at one of his men and shouted "Send a message to all the units to be ready, we leave in an hour".

Before the massager could get out, Gargoyle told him to stop, then he said calmly to the angry men in front of him "I suggest we wait until Duke Hale returns. He is our commander after all".

Khor turned to the bald man and was about to say something, when Raythor raised his hand "I disagree with you. Phobos is a necromancer, and the more time we give him, the bigger his army gets. He could go to some graveyard, or may find a way to control the demons that lurk around the palace. If we want to strike, we strike as swift as possible".

Gargoyle gave a loud sigh, then he stood up and faced Raythor "So what's the plan?"

Raythor said, "We strike him as one with full force" Then he shouted, "Generals, prepare your men, we leave now." With that, all of them went outside, headed to ready their units.

--

They were near the entrance of Kandrakar, in three hours, it was noon, and the four generals were side by side, leading behind more than 6,000 knight.

They stopped once they saw Phobos standing in front of the palace, wearing a black robe with red rim, standing behind him was no more than 70 zombies and 30 skeletons.

Phobos moved forward with confidant steps, then he shouted. "All you have to do to save your puny lives, is to submit under my rule, and obey my every command. I'll think of something else later." He said the last part looking at his nails.

Khor was about to charge at him at that moment when Raythor held his hand stopping the old man, he then looked at Phobos "In the name of the Holy Kingdom of Meridian, we shall execute justice upon you Necromancer, for all the death you've caused, and avenge them all. Do you have anything to say in defense for yourself?"

Phobos's face twisted into a sadistic smile, "Face my wrath and the dead", and he hurled a black fireball at the troops of the knight, that exploded on contact with a blinding light.

When Raythor's eyes began to see again, he saw Phobos raising his right up, smoke coming from a black fire on his palm. The smoke covered the sky, blocking the sun, then from under the ground, hands came out grabbing them, pulling them down, Raythor turned around, he saw zombies in the middle of his army, slashing, stabbing and even eating his men alive, and what made things worse, the other soldiers didn't seem to notice them, like they can't see them.

Frost shouted from over his horse. "What are you fools doing? Don't let them take you by surprise, attack those zombies" But the soldiers just looked at the general as if he had two heads.

One of the soldiers near him said. "Maybe fear paralyzed them sir, we need to save them before it's too late". Frost looked to Gargoyle who nodded his head and the men near him "Follow me men, let's save these cowards." Both generals lead small groups to where the zombies are attacking the army.

They started killing few of the zombies, but the more of them they kill, the more they found their selves surrounded by them, and more would emerge from the earth.

Frost looked to Khor, who suddenly appeared behind him "We can't win like this Khor." He said as he was deflecting an attack from the right. The old man replied while cutting down a zombie "I'm ready for any suggestion".

"Kill Phobos", Gargoyle's shout was heard over the clanging of the swords and the war screams. He was over his horse going to the front of the battle-striking zombies on the way "Kill Phobos and victory is assured".

Frost throw the one in front of him and shouted "Everyone, aim for Phobos, leave those punks for later, Phobos's head comes first".

Just then, Frost saw Raythor heading to the back of the battle field. Frost shouted "Where are you going Raythor? The other way, Phobos is the other way around." And to add to Frost's surprise, when Raythor saw him, Raythor's face turned at first to utter shock, then turned to determination and rage, he changed his course and now is headed towards Frost and he was shouting "You fool, Phobos is standing right behind you, watch out."

Frost spun around but all he saw was Khor, who was striking down zombies right and left. Frost turned to see Raythor raise his sword and bring it down on Khor, who deflected the sword by his own, and was about to counter, when they heard Frost's shout "What are you both doing, Khor, Raythor, Phobos is the enemy, he is laughing at us from his place, while you two are killing each other".

Both men looked confused for a second, but when realization downed on Raythor, it downed heavily on him, he took a few steps back, dropped his sword and put a hand on his face "Illusions...all of this is illusion".

He turned around and shouted as high as he could "STOP ATTACKING, THERE IS NO ZOMBIES AMONG US, IT'S ALL A TRICK, AN ILLUSION." His words fell on deaf ears, his voice lost in the sounds of the on-going battle, some soldiers started attacking him shouting, "Die you zombie". Raythor shouted, "STOP". But it was all in vain, for when the generals managed to take control of the situation, it was too late, and when they turned their gaze to the front of the battle field, they saw Phobos snap his fingers, and all the illusions stopped.

The sky is clear and blue now, there were no zombies coming from the ground, in fact the soil wasn't even disrupted as they thought it, all of the fake illusions of Phobos disappeared, but the worse part of it, all of the zombies they have killed were their brothers in arms, the same army they were leading.

Everywhere in sight, lays the dead bodies of the knights. They killed more than half of the troops they had, and those who remain were wounded, tired both physically and psychologically, and were in no condition to fight.

To make the matters worse, Phobos raised a black glowing hand, and all of the corpses on the battlefield raised to its master's command, so now the undead army have the knights surrounded and outnumbered.

Phobos order was heard though out the field. "I want the rest of you alive, so do not struggle, for if you do, you shall face a fate worse than death, you have a necromancer's word on it." He said the last part with a smirk.

After hearing that, the generals and the remaining knights felt an inner fire. They didn't stand down and went for a last round, they fought with determination and bravery, throwing their lives in the depth of the battle, but the numbers won over courage, without killing any of the knights, the undead just wounded them enough to the extent of not being able to fight back.

The once proud generals and knights of Arkhanta, the Elite Unit of Meridian's army, is now nothing but war prisoners, thrown on the dirt, their hands shackled behind their backs, pushed and led by a group of zombies and skeletons.

Phobos was standing in front of them, tall and mighty, he looked at them with despise "You have been defeated even before the battle started, and that shows the difference in our level. The weak is to be defeated by the strong, and the stupid dance according to what the smart sings".

Raythor tried to get up but the zombies held him down, then he shouted "How did you manage to make those illusions? Fire mages can't make illusions."

Phobos grinned, "But necromancers can, and you can say I am a talented one." Then he gave a small chuckle, "Not bad for a first try, wouldn't you agree?"

He laughed again, then turned to them, "It really didn't matter if you struggled or not, I was going to do my experiments on you anyway, the only thing that changed, is that now you can't resist me." Then he added as a side note, "Not like you could have anyway, but figure speaking."

He then turned to the zombies, "Take them to the dungeons, and lock them up, I don't want any one of them to escape or die till I'm done with my plan." Then he added mentally, _'Hopefully before Hale manages to pull something up, and ruins everything.'_ Without delay, the zombies did as they were ordered.

--

After sending some zombies to get the required ingredients, and a number of failed trials on some knights, his experiments succeeded, now standing in front of him was his new collection of pawns to order.

He had turned Raythor to a vampire, pale skin, long sharp teeth and pointed ears. Khor was transformed into a gray werewolf, unable to change back to his human form. Whereas Frost was changed to a blue ogre like creature with his long blond hair. Gargoyle is now what may be called a stone golem, even though the intended result was to be a mix of vampire and a werewolf, Phobos was satisfied with what he got.

Once the former generals saw Phobos, they lunged at him, throwing the guards to the far end of the room. Khor shouted, "Phobos, you'll pay." A claw hand aimed to Phobos's head. Just before it made contact, Phobos held his hand up, and all four of them were unable to move.

Frost said alarmed, "What's going on?" Fear replacing the anger, Khor said through clenched teeth. "I can't move a muscle." Gargoyle gave a weak roar, since that's all he can do after losing the ability to speak.

Phobos then started to close his fist ever so slowly, and with every movement of his fingers, the generals felt the most agonizing pain, as if it was their soul being ripped out.

Phobos was taking a sick pleasure from the screams that escaped them, from the emotions that showed on their faces, bearing in mind not to close his hand completely. After a moment, which seemed forever for the four men in front of him, he released his grip, and instantly they fell on all four, panting heavily, the necromancer then stepped forward. Hands clasped behind his back, stating very slowly. "You don't own your bodies, you don't own your lives anymore, your mine now to do whatever I wish you to do. Failing to do so, will only cause you suffering, which I'm sure you don't want any of it." Then he moved past them and said in low voice, "Keep in mind that I can keep you in that state till I feel satisfied".

Then he said in a commanding voice, "I have a mission for you. Tomorrow before down, we will move out to Heatherfield Village and raid it". He then extended his hand, and all four men were engulfed in black fire, but instead of burning them, it healed them, and they felt new power within them.

Phobos said to the former Generals. "Now you can each gather your own army, or the very least raise the dead." Then he threw a fireball on one of the prisoners killing him, and turned to Raythor, "Raise him." He ordered.

Raythor stood up and went to the burnt corpse, mimicking Phobos's moves, while focusing on bringing the dead back, to his surprise, a skeleton slowly raised ready for his orders.

Phobos looked content with the demonstration "If you train enough, you can even make vampires and werewolves. I expect to see my army ready before dawn," and with that he exited the room.

Once Phobos was out of hearing range, Raythor indicated for his friends to come close, and then Khor spoke barely containing his anger. "I almost had him, my claws were this close of taking his head off...ARR, I can't believe I just said CLAWS." He said the last part while clawing at his face unable to contain his rage anymore.

Raythor took a hold of Khor's hands, and moved them away before they do more damage, then he said quietly. "Have patience my dear friend, we shall have our revenge on that devil, if it the last thing we're going to do".

Frost looked to him with glee, his ears perked up "You seem to have a plan ready Raythor." The vampire smirked, "In fact I do." then he said in a low voice. "We know we can't win in a direct confrontation, but we can turn his own magic against him, all we have to do is make our own army that listen only to our commands, and strike him when he least expect." He then concluded, "All of us have to master this new power, and then our revenge is assured".

Khor said annoyed, "It will take a long time". Raythor smiled, his fangs showing "Revenge is a plate better served cold." Gargoyle gave sound that they understood as an approval, then Raythor said "We have to play as he says for now, but once we get the hang of things here, we will see who will suffer." With that, they all went to their own way, making the army for tomorrow's invasion.

--

At dawn, Phobos was leading the army of undead, and right behind him was his 'Death Lords' as he liked to call them, and when they reached the out skirts of the small village, he stopped the march and turned to his generals. "The aim of this raid is to capture as many experimental materials as possible, and to leave this town in a state, that the mere mention of our name will strike unimaginable terror and fear into the souls of our enemies." Then he looked at Raythor, "You shall take the lead, I expect great results".

Raythor bowed his head, "You shall not be disappointed Sire". With that, the invasion started, and within an hour, the town was burned, now it was nothing but piles upon piles of ash that covered the whole place.

Raythor went to the necromancer, "Sire, it has been done as you wished, and not a single body was left on the ground". Phobos looked delighted "Job well done," then he turned to Frost and handed him a letter. "Attach this to a spear impaling one of those things you call elderly, and make sure to leave him a noticeable place".

After that was done, they returned to Kandrakar. Phobos sat on the throne and was laughing manically. He then turned to his death lords, "In less than two days from now, Duke Hale will bow in front of me, announcing his surrender, and begging me to spare his pathetic city and the lives of its inhabitants, and with the fall of Arkhanta, the rest will fall effortlessly".

True to his word, Duke Hale came the next day, doing exactly as Phobos predicted, thus giving him what he wished for, the path to dominate Meridian.

_'Minister David Black said:_

…_I had I known that some mistakes would lead to some kind of a problem, but for a mistake to lead to this kind of an outcome? It was as if all hell broke loose, it was a massacre, a massacre I tell you...but do you know what the real tragedy is? It all could've been prevented '_

_--_

AN: To those who didn't read the comics : Arkhanta is the parallel world the w.i.t.c.h go to in after defeating Nerissa. As for Redstone city it was mentioned in the 26 issue, where Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin went to in a student exchange program (I think).

For those who didn't see the cartoons, Gargoyle is a giant one eyed stone golem that appeared in the first episode. All that said:

My thanks to all of the readers, especially who left me a review : XV-Dragon. You have my gratitude.

Another thanks to my friends for their support and endurance.

Lastly, I would like to thank 'Girl of Light Writer' for betareading and improving this chapter. I t went through a drastic changes thanks to her.

This chapter was fun and somewhat easy to write, I kinda of enjoyed writing crazy Phobos and Satan Cedric (he was like a Satan there, don't you think?). The hardest part was Elyon's party, It took me forever to write it out and then I had to changed it more than three times till I got this version. Thank Girl of light Writer or else the old draft would've given you headaches just from reading it.

You can expect Irma to show up in the next chapter, though it would take some time. Leave a review please. Thank you.


	4. Her past part 1

Irma's Tale

By Lost Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H

Chapter 3 : Her Past

_'Doctor Michel Jade said:_

_...If we wanted to talk about Irma's childhood, we can divide it into two parts. When she lived in heatherfield before the raid, and when she moved to Arkhanta afterwards. And although there is a big difference in the life style and the class of people between a countryside village and the capital of wealth, people of both areas had a similarity to Irma, they treated her like a demon, wishing for her death. But in both areas, Irma proved, just like her parents, that the Lair family doesn't bow down to threats, and that they have an inner strength like I have never seen in anybody else.' _

It was 13th of the month of the moon, 500 DD. The local doctor of Heatherfield was in the Lair house in the middle of the night. The sound of the crying baby was heard in a few minutes, and it was the most musical thing both Tom and Sarah had ever heard. "It's a healthy girl, congratulations", the skinny black doctor said, handing the now clean and crying baby to the mother.

Tom lair was in his late twenties, well built and of average height, has fair complexion, with short brown hair, and blue eyes. He was a high-ranking colonel in the army, and after the retirement of the old trainers, he became the new trainer of the knights in Arkhanta. At the moment, he was standing near a bed in the middle of his living room, where his wife, Sarah was lying.

Sarah was a beautiful woman, her age near her husband, being only younger by one year. She was of average height and built, her skin is a little bit tanned, with wavy black hair, and emerald green eyes. She used to be a knight of Arkhanta, and a strong one too, one of the few that used the 'water dance' style. After she married and got pregnant, she resigned from her risky job, and settled for a quite life in her hometown Heatherfield to raise her baby.

At this moment, tears of joy came running down, and even though she was exhausted, she reached out to hold her baby. The sound of her baby and the feeling on her shoulder where her husband was squeezing her affectionately filled her with such great joy and happiness. She looked at the face of the now quiet and sleeping girl in her arms "Hello Baby." Tom knelt down a little to get a better look at his daughter "This time I will let it slip, but no daughter of mine comes home after sunset." He said playfully, and then he added "She looks so pretty Sarah".

Both parents kept staring at her for a moment then her dad said while squeezing her mother's hand affectionately once again, "She's got your nose you know."

The mom said while stroking her child's head, "And she got your hair color dear."

Her husband grinned broadly at that "You know my mom used to say that the hair color determine the personality."

Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him "Meaning?"

Tom turned to her with a cocky expression on his face "She's gonna grow up to be just like daddy, strong, smart and handsome."

She snorted "Let's hope she won't take your ego too, you have enough to cover for the whole kingdom you know".

"Oh, what an adorable little girl." Said an old lady to the happy couple as she approached them. She was one of the neighbours that heard the call for the doctor earlier and came to offer some help. The old lady turned to them "Have you decided what to name her yet?"

"Thank you Mrs. Cole, to tell you the truth, we still haven't settled on a name just yet." Replied Sarah, she was going to say some more but her attention shifted to what Tom was saying, "Oh honey, just look at how she moves." The baby was moving a little in her mother's arm and something on the side of her neck caught her eyes.

"What is this on her neck dear?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, that is just a birthmark Mrs. Lair, A lot of kids get them, nothing to be afraid of." Said the bald doctor as he reentered the room drying his hands with some cloth.

A sigh of relief escaped both parents and were filled once again with the feelings of happiness, then Mrs. Cole said "That is a strange looking birth mark." She then added as she moved her hand on the birthmark examining it "It almost looks like a ..."

Her face suddenly turned to a mask of fear and she let out a piercing shriek as she withdrew her hand as if burned, she started to stumble backwards, "Sh-She's the demon from the prophecy." She took another step backwards and fell on her elbow with a sickining crack, and she howled in pain.

"Mrs. Cole" The doctor said as he rushed to her side and started to examine her arm, but she pushed him with her other arm screaming, "LOOK AT WHAT SHE DID TO ME, KILL HER, **KILL THAT DEMON**".

Sarah gasped and embraced her daughter protectively as the baby started crying. Tom shouted in rage, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT."

The old woman looked hysterically at the gathered people behind her and said "Sh-She is the demon from the prophecy, the birthmark, it's a snake's head, a snake's head is on her neck."

A collective gasp was heard from the group, then the old lady turned her face to the baby and pointed an accusing shaking finger towards her "She broke my arm the minute she was born, she is a bad omen to all this kingdom, we have to kill this demon while we can, before it is too late".

"GET OUT OF HERE" Tom thundered his face a mask of fury and rage "GET THE HELL OUT YOU CRAZY OLD WOMAN." Then he turned his gaze to the other people, who gathered around Mrs. Cole holding her while glaring at the Lair family with hatred and loath, one of the men shouted, "You know that we must kill that cursed child".

Just as the man finished his sentence, two hands grabbed him from the collar of his shirt and slammed into the wall behind him, then Tom brought the man's face to his, the tip of their noses touching and hissed through clenched teeth "_**Say it again, I dare you.**_"

The man couldn't keep eye contact out of fear, and the second his gaze shifted, he was slammed again in the wall, Tom shouted, "LOOK ME IN THE EYE WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU".

Tom then shoved the man to the left near Mrs. Cole and looked at the gathered people, and said in low voice "If any of you dare as to touch a hair of my daughter, I swear to god, that'll be the last thing you'll ever do".

He kept his glare on them, daring anyone to challenge him and test his word, and when they kept silent, he went to the door and opened it. "Now that you don't have anything else to say, I would like you all out".

One by one, they all exited the house, giving Tom the same look of loath from before, to which he answered with a glare of his own.

Mrs. Cole went out mumbling incoherent stuff and was followed by the man, who was rubbing his neck from before with his hand, and as he got near Tom he looked at him and said in a low voice "This isn't over."

Tom narrowed his eyes in response and replied, "Get out of my sight." After the last of the group left, Tom closed the door and returned to his small family and the doctor who stayed behind collecting his tools.

Tom took a glance at his now sleeping baby girl and the face of his wife. His features softened immediately, he closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. He then sat on the mattress beside his wife and warped his arm around her , his right hand squeezing her right arm as he kissed her head gently and rested the side of his head on hers, "I'm sorry you had to see that." Then he turned his eyes to his daughter, "Both of you".

He closed his eyes again and gave another loud sigh. "It's just what they said, it...". Sarah had put the sleeping baby in her lap, and interrupted her husband's speech by placing a finger on his lips.

She locked her emerald eyes with his blue ones, her eyes shining with love and understanding, she said in a gentle tone. "They got what they deserved, you didn't do anything wrong." She then gave a small chuckle "If I wasn't this tired, I would've kicked them all out myself, maybe even give that bastard a permanent scar."

Tom shook his head a little, a small smile forming on his lips. "How do you always do that?"

She raised her head up a little and said with a smug "I guess I'm just that awesome."

This earned a small laugh from the couple; she then placed her hand on his cheek and added softly, "You did the right thing dear".

"I have to agree with your wife, Tom." The doctor's voice suddenly cut through, reminding the couple of his presence, and when he got their attention he continued "Anything less and I think they were really going to try and kill your baby."

Tom replied, "Like I would allow that, Doc."

The old man shook his head "No one who values his life would cross Colonel Lair, or Sarah, the sword dancer for that matter." Then he closed his eyes and added quietly, "at least no one in their right mind".

Sarah looked at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"

He gave a small sigh and stood in front of them. "Mrs. Cole and that young man were acting out of irrational fear, they suffered a lot from the last war. The father of that man and Mrs. Cole are the sole survivors of their respected families, and from that time, they have kept the whole village prepared for the demon's return. And now with the destruction of the cave two weeks ago, and the prophecy hanging on every wall, they are more than a little jumpy right now. Scared people tend to see what they fear everywhere".

Sarah replied, "How can anybody see her as a demon? Just look at her, look at how she is sleeping." She then collected her baby to her chest and kissed her on the head gently. "She is but an innocent newborn, what sin did she commit to deserve such a thing?" It was a statement more than a question, but the doctor answered in low voice, "Her birthmark labeled her as such".

Tom looked annoyed at him and said, "Come on doc, get real. It's just an oval patch of dark skin."

The doctor said calmly "An oval dark patch with two rounded pale ones that resembles two eyes." Tom quickly replied, "So? I mean it could be anything. To me it looks more like a bird's head rather than a snake".

The doctor chuckled, "I agree with you completely, but it's not just the birthmark, she came to the world on the worst possible time for her, with everything that's going around, it kind of leads the people to that direction, with the prophecy and all."

Tom put his hands over his head frustrated. "But even though, a birthmark isn't a trait." The doctor replied, "I know but it's them you need to convince".

The doctor then took his bag. "I have to go now and see Mrs. Cole. She did fell pretty hard on her elbow." He turned his black eyes to Sarah and smiled, "Don't let any of this get to you Mrs. Lair. You have a healthy and beautiful baby, and this is a fact."

She smiled back and wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you Doctor Jade." The doctor nodded his head and Tom walked him to the door.

Once there, Tom faced the old man, "Thank you Mike, for everything you did. It means a lot."

The doctor gave a small laugh. "You know I'm not worried on you or your baby, you'll do fine. I'm worried on how busy I'll be with likes of Mrs. Cole, making everything the curse's fault and filling my clinic."

Tom gave a chuckle "This will give you good business; I should demand a percent you know".

After the doctor left, Tom returned to his wife and they started to discuss things through, and they settled that once Sarah feels good enough, they will move back to Arkhanta. But when Tom went there to his work the next week, he saw the situation there is even worse, and in the end, he and Sarah decided to stay in Heatherfield.

The villagers at first tried to convince the Lairs about their daughter and that she must be killed or at least leave the village, to which Sarah refused both offers saying, "This is my hometown and nothing you can do that can make me leave."

After that the elderly -led by Mrs. Cole- and with the rest of the village following in their footsteps, started to fight the Lair and make them outcasts.

As the time pass, the villagers started to have a little doubt in the words of the elderly, especially that concerning death and destruction that follows the demon, and they started to open up to the Lair family a little. But of course every bad thing that happens to the village like delay of the rain or somebody being robbed is the demon's fault.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the age of four, Irma, which is the name of the baby her parents picked for her. They named her after a local myth of a sea goddess- had noticed how she was treated differently by the villagers than the rest of the kids her age, she also learned from the other kids what is the meaning of 'demon' that she was usually called by the elderly. They told her it means bad luck and death to everyone around her.

Even with all of this going on around her, Irma grew up to be a happy little girl, and why wouldn't she? She had a loving mother that gave Irma her full attention, and a caring father who makes her feel special in every way.

Most of her time is spent with her mother, since her father works away and only comes home at the weekends, in which the whole family gets to sit together, play, talk, and do various other stuff.

One of the best things that happened when dad is around, is that Irma gets to put her hard work trap into action, and hope that dear daddy falls into it. Her mother had noticed that her daughter had a mischief personality. And since she is a good mom, she didn't want to suppress Irma's personality, or limit her creativity for that matter too. So mom would always help little Irma in creating various pranks -or daddy traps as Irma calls them- for Tom. Sometimes Sarah would even pull the man into one of them.

Usually Tom easily avoids the said traps, which are either a bucket full of mud or a flour bomb, but when he falls into one, this always result in a laughing fit for mom, Irma stares at her father for a moment then she starts jumping in front of her mom. "Did you see it mommy? I got him, daddy fell into my trap." Which makes dad yell at them and ground Irma. Irma in response fakes crying and pouts her lips, and mom who usually would still be laughing, comes to the rescue and saves Irma from an unfair punishment. Of course Tom would feel guilty for yelling at them, and to show how sorry he is, he collects them in a big hug, earning a squeal from the girls and few hits in the arm, then they would all clean up and have dinner and quality time together.

Then comes the other best thing that happens in the weekends, Irma gets to see a spar match between her parents. They would all go first thing in the morning to a big open area, a base of a hill near the house, for they wouldn't want to ruin their nice garden with their play, and Irma would take her place, watching them from above.

Her parents would take their places, do a small bow to each other, and then they would take their fighting stances, and look at Irma waiting for her to give the signal to start. Irma would look at both of her parents, excitement shining in her eyes, and then she would take a deep breath "Ready? GO".

It would usually start with her mother throwing magical ice bolts, her dad dodging few, shattering the others with his sword. Then he would retaliate with an upward strike followed by a downward slash sending two white crescent energy shots to his wife, to which she nimbly dodges, do a somersault, and finish it with a strike with her two daggers aimed at his head.

But as usual, he deflects it with ease, and starts his assault of strong thrusts and slashes with his broad sword. Even though his sword work is quite fast, he couldn't land a single strike, for his wife dodged them all and took a few steps back, gaining some distance, and once again send some ice bolts at him.

They would go on like this for some time exchanging blows, till Sarah would do some rapid jumps backwards, putting a lot of distance between them. She then closes her eyes and lowers her head. A faint blue glow starts to surround her.

She then raises her head, a glee in her eyes and big grin makes its way on her face "Are you ready to dance dear?" Tom readies himself and takes his stance and replays with a smirk "Bring it on honey." Irma took a few steps down, to get a better view, for this is the climax of the spar.

Like a shooting arrow, Sarah sprints towards him. Tom sends a few crescent shots at her. She dodges them with ease and increase the speed of her sprint. Once he becomes within her reach, she slashes at him with her right in a diagonal arch from below. Tom tries to block her slash and counter, but against a blow using that high speed, all he could do was parry it to his right.

Sarah, not even stopping for a second, side stepped around him, span on her in an anticlockwise manner, doing a swift slash with her left. This time, Tom deflected her attack back, but before he could retaliate, Sarah span around, but this time it was clockwise direction, and slashed with her right, to which he parried.

Every time Tom blocked one her slashes, she spun around and slashed him with the other dagger, increasing her speed with every spin she did. They fought like that for awhile, Sarah increasing her attacks, and Tom defending with great skill.

No matter how many times Irma saw her parents spar, with their rapid movement and the clang of her father's sword against her mother's ice daggers filling the air, it always gets Irma excited every time, makes her feel proud, wishing she would be like them when she grows up. She would stare at them in awe till the end of the match.

Then suddenly, Tom grabbed her right hand with his left, made her do a spin on herself, a second spin, bended foreword and held his arm in front of him as Sarah let herself fall on his arm, as if they were ending a dance.

She looked at him, and although she was panting heavily, a small smile found its way on her now red face. Tom's face held something else, he did had a look of affection and love, but he also had a huge grin and his eyes held that mischief glee in them, he wasn't panting as heavily as his wife and that is something he would tease her about to no end.

Both of them were drenched with their sweat, feeling proud, but also tired and sore from the effort they had put in this little spar they had. To them, it wasn't only a training, it was their unique way of romance and bonding, and as a bonus, it served as a reminder to the villagers of their skill and strength.

Irma run down the hill to her parents, hugging them and shouting how great this was, doing some moves she saw them do, and both adults started laughing at the enthusiasm of their little girl. There is another reason for Irma to be this excited.

Yesterday, Sarah had promised Irma to start home schooling her after two months, along with some sword and magic lessons, and from that moment and Irma excitement only grew, to the point where she wouldn't sleep from her excitement, to which Sarah decided to start teaching her tomorrow in the afternoon -which would be a few hours from now. This made Tom a little bit sad, since he was hoping for Irma to follow his lead, but with him away at work most of the week, there was little he could do.

As promised in the afternoon, Sarah took her daughter to the same hill from before, carrying with her some books, pens and a small cup. They were sitting under a tree and Sarah had decided against all of Irma's protests to start teaching her alphabets and numbers first.

After awhile, Sarah couldn't help but smile when she saw the eagerness her daughter's face was showing, not to mention how fast she copied her lesson for today, even if it was done in a hurried and clumsy manner.

Not to torture her daughter any longer, Sarah decided to begin the next part of her teaching "Irma honey, look here. What I'm about to tell you is very important, so pay attention." Irma nodded her head in response, after that her mother continued in a story like fashion while holding the clay cup in one hand, running the index of her right hand on its rim.

"The ninja call it chakra, the summoners call it spirit power, your father calls it sword skill, but I call it ... magic." And with the last word, her right hand began to glow a slight colour of blue, and from the tip of her index finger, water came out filling the small cup. Irma's face was that of amazement, it was her first time seeing magic this close and all she could say in response was "Wow".

Sarah then held her hand in front of Irma's face, "Now for you to do magic, you need two things." She then took out her one of her daggers, showing Irma the blue sapphire that decorated its hilt, "First, you need to have what we call an energy releaser, something that will release the energy from within you to the outside world. Gems let you use elemental magic like ice or fire, while as metals let you use enhancement and energy skills, the things you see your father does with his sword".

She returned the dagger to its cover, crouched so that she is at the same level as her daughter and flicked her on the forehead, to which Irma responded by an, "Ouch, what's that for ?" rubbing her forehead and scowling. Her mother smiled innocently, "Just making sure you're still with me, you had a faraway look there for a second, now pay attention".

Irma, still scowling and rubbing, nodded her head. Sarah then continued "Secondly, and the most important, you have to train, train and train. Training will increase the limit of your magical energy, make you do the spells faster and stronger. And if you train long enough, you may not need an energy releaser, although it would make things much easier."

Sarah then brought the water filled cup, "Your first lesson in magic will be to freeze this water. It is much easier to freeze water than make it out of water vapor in the air".

"Now, all you have to do is". Sarah put a small rounded sapphire in Irma's left hand, then she took Irma's right index and dipped it into the cup. "Concentrate your thinking on changing this water into ice, imagine it freezing, turning from liquid to solid, all the while holding that sapphire in your hand." She instructed her daughter.

Irma closed her hand around the sapphire, closed her eyes and concentrated hard. After some time, which seemed like eternity for little Irma, she felt a pulse of energy from her heart, runs through her veins and out through her right index.

She opened her eyes, a big smile forming on her face, replacing the look of concentration. And as big and fast her smile was formed, it changed back into a scowl yet again, but this time, it was focused on the thin ice layer that formed just around her finger, and as soon as she lifted her finger from the cup, it melted.

Sarah commented, "That was very good for your first time."

Irma didn't look quite happy with her work, she crossed her arms in front of chest and pouted. "But I concentrated really really hard, for a long time too, and all I made is this tiny icy...uh...thingy, and it melted really fast." She explained to her mother.

Sarah raised an eye brow. "Well what did you expect? That you're gonna make it from the first time?"

Irma responded, "Well, yeah." Then she added in a low voice, "I really tried."

Her mother closed the space between them, locked Irma's neck in one arm and with the other arm, she ruffled hair. "You weren't paying attention, were you? What did I say number two was, huh?" "He-Hey, stop it mom." "The most important thing is?" and Irma said with laughter in her voice "Training, you said training." Her mother then broke her hold. "That's right, training makes wonders".

Irma then asked her mother, "How did you do in your first try?"

Sarah raised her head high and said in a cocky manner, "Bff, I was the best student my teacher had and the source of his pride. I was fifteen and from my first try I froze a whole lake."

Irma laughed and said in singing manner, "I can tell your lying". Then she added with a knowing look, "You were a bad student, weren't you?"

Sarah smirked in response, "The worst ever. My teacher always said that I won't ever be able to do magic, but with daily training, I became the best." Irma laughed again and Sarah waved her right, "Okay, okay, so I wasn't the best, but I became real good at it because I trained, trained and trained".

Her mother then clapped her hands, "Okay now, breaks time is over. You will do it again and I will help as much as I can. Hopefully, you'll be able to freeze the whole cup before sunset, so that tomorrow, we can give you some basic sword training".

And just a little before sunset, Irma managed to complete her first lesson. The sword training in the next day turned out to be some endurance and speed training. "You need to shape your body first." Was her mother's replay when Irma whined about not even touching a sword, but none the less, she finished her training for the day.

The next day would be somewhat similar to this. The early morning would be spent in the sword training, return home and start working on a new 'Daddy Trap' with the help of mom, after finishing her book lessons of course. In the afternoon some magic training and her day would end with a nice story before sleep.

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Days turned into months, and just like that, Irma now is a little above five years old. Her magic is a little better now and her mother gave her a silver trinket, her new training is to keep it glowing for the longest duration. Her father is now a part of her training program in the weekends, and he started giving her some sword lessons with basic moves to train on the whole week.

It was in one of those days were her father had just finished training Irma, he was sitting in a shade of a big tree in their garden, he stared at his daughter for a moment, taking in her features.

Her wavy short brown hair bouncing with her movement as she imitated a move her mother used in their spars. She then moved her tan face and her turquoise eyes locked with his blue ones, and her face broke in a huge grin. He smiled back at her and she went to the house to get something._ "Probably to change into her light blue shirt and dark blue pants that she became fond of lately."_ He thought to himself, and then he stared at the sky, a faraway look in his eyes.

His wife came and quietly sat beside him, leaning against the tree. She then brought her hand over his and gave it an affectionate squeeze. He turned to face her, noticing behind her smiling face, the concern her eyes held for him. He gave her a smile of his own.

"Hey". She greeted him, breaking the silence, "What's wrong?" To which he replied "Hmm? Oh, it's nothing."

"It's been awhile since I saw you like this, what are thinking about dear?"

Tom gave a sigh and closed his eyes, "I was just thinking about something my mom said and how wrong it turned out."

Sarah tilted her head a little, "What are you talking about?"

He gave another sigh. He then opened his eyes "It's about Irma." He said quietly.

She asked alarmed, "What about Irma?" Concern written all over her face.

He turned, so that he was sitting in front of her and he put his hands over her shoulders. His eyes looked with her, "She didn't grow up to be like me".

"Huh? What?" Was her confused reply.

He dropped his hands and whined, "You know, the thing about the hair color and personality. Well none of came true and she grew out to be a mini you".

He watched with amusement as her face flushed and played all kinds of different emotions. She hit his arm a number of times, **"Tom you jerk. Do you know much I was worried?"** Then she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him her back, "Don't you ever do that again. Do you hear me Tom Lair?"

In response, he laughed wholeheartedly, "Y-You should've seen your face Sarah. It was hilarious".

She moved her head to the right "Jerk".

Tom was still laughing a bit, he put a hand over her shoulder, "Oh come on honey, you go to admit. It was really good".

Moving her head to the other side, her only response "Idiot".

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry honey, alright? I won't do it again. Promise." Though there was still laughter in his voice and he knew, as well as she, that he would do it again whenever he could.

She turned around, "You're sleeping on the couch tonight, _dear._" Giving him a jab in the chest with the last word.

A knowing smirk came to his face, "Maybe if you take out your anger in a spar, you would feel better." Then he added "After all, we didn't have a spar for two weeks now and I kind of feel, you know, uh, way lazy for my taste".

His smirk fell and was replaced by confusion when she answered him, "Nope, it wouldn't be fair".

Tom didn't understand, but he tried another tactic and said in a cocky manner, "Don't tell me you're afraid of losing to my greatness and awesomeness. It's understandable and I promise to go easy on you".

"Ha, you wish. I can beat you with my eyes closed." Was her fast replay.

His smirk grew, a mischief look in his eyes "Care to prove that in a spar?"

His wife closed her eyes "Not today Tom. I told you before, two on one is not fair".

This caught Tom off guard, he looked at her as if she had grown another head. "Huh, What are you talking about?"

It was in that moment that Irma came out of the house, wearing her clean outfit. Tom turned his head towards his daughter, then he faced his wife, "Irma can't join in yet".

Upon the mention of her name, Irma raised her head. "What is it dad?"

Sarah, eyes still closed, the beginning of a smile forming on her lips, "I'm not talking about Irma".

She then opened her eyes and greeted his confused look with a warm smile, "I'm pregnant".

It took a moment for her words to sink in, and then Tom's face was radiating happiness. He rushed to his wife, embracing her in loving hug, "Oh honey, that's wonderful." Then he held her at an arm length "You are sure, right?" " Yes, I'm sure. Probably in the second month now." They hugged again and kissed.

Irma was looking between her parents, "Dad what's going on? What does pegnant mean?" Both of them laughed "It means mommy is going to have a baby". Explained her mother.

Irma was now more confused than before, "A baby?" "I'm thinking of Christopher if it's a boy, Cristina if it's girl. What do you think honey?" Tom asked his wife.

Sarah turned to him, with a smirk, "I think you're still gonna sleep on the couch, dear." Then she turned to her daughter, "Come on sweetheart, let's get inside." Tom looked at their retreating backs, "I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

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A/N : My thanks to all of the readers, especially who left me a review : XV-Dragon. You have my gratitude.

Another thanks to my friends for their support.

Lastly, I would like to thank 'Girl of Light Writer' for betareading this chapter.

Sorry for the long, long delay. I will try to speed up the work a little bit. Though this turned out to be much harder than I first thought it would, but I think it turned out pretty nice. It's my first time at romance and at a real action scene (hope you find it as good as I did).

Of course Mrs. Cole, Dr. Jade and Sara are my own creation, (as well as the water dance style, I don't think there is a sword style by that name, is there?).

Irma, in the comics, doesn't remember (or know) anything about her real mother except for the smell of her cake that she bakes (cinnamon I think). There is not even a mention of her name.

Now I now Irma may seem OOC in this chapter at first but she is 4-5 years old, and I think that's how she would've done in those circumstances. Anybody agree ?

Oh and I hope you liked how magic works in this universe, just a thing that had been playing with my mind, can't remember where I saw stuff like this (I think it's in more than one show, but the nearest thing that comes to my mind is FF 7, how they cast magic if they hold these gems (material I think).

Anyway the next chapter shouldn't take as long as this one did. Leave a review please. Thanks.


	5. Her past part 2

Irma's Tale

By Lost Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H

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_Continue Chapter 3 : Her Past ( part 2)_

Around five months have passed since then, making Sarah at her seventh month of pregnancy. It was just like any other day for the Lair family: Tom was at work and should return after two days. Irma went to the hills for training, while Sarah stayed home, sleeping late, being pregnant and all.

Irma had just finished her morning training and was returning home, expecting to see her mother in the kitchen, preparing her trademark cake that Irma really loved.

Irma came running home, opened the door, "Mom. I'm ho-". Her breath caught mid sentence. Her heart beat slowed to a complete stop, her mind went blank and time stopped moving.

In front of her, at the base of the stairs, a pool of red blood and a trail ending at the near wall, where she saw her mother leaning against it. Every part of her along with her cloth had red paint on it.

From her spot at the entrance door, Irma was lost in a world of darkness. The only thing she can see is her mother's face in a hazy red background. The only sound she can hear is the heavy panting of her mother gasping for air.

Sarah's eye met her daughter's teary ones. Her lips moved ever so slowly in Irma's eye as her mother called for her. The sound that came out didn't belong to her mother. It was so weak.

**"MOM",** Irma broke in a mad dash to her mother. What she heard was her mother's voice. It held the same caring and loving tone in it. But it also held a tinge of plea, a tinge of desperation that she never heard from her. That tinge was multiplied in Irma a hundred fold.

Irma reached her mother's side, tears running freely down her cheeks. Sarah looked at her daughter. She then raised a red stained hand, grazed at Irma's cheek before it came to a rest on her shoulder, then she said in short gasps "Irma, honey...I need you to get help...get doctor Jade...tell him...I fell from the stairs...and had an abortion." Then she winced and clutched her abdomen.

"Bu-But" Irma stuttered, afraid of leaving her mother like this. Her mother tried to give her daughter a reassuring smile but didn't manage to pull it off. "Don't worry sweetie...I'm stronger than this...and so are you".

Irma nodded her head and ran to get the doctor. She ran as fast as her legs could and after awhile, she reached the door of the doctor's clinic and burst it open. Her eyes scanned the area, frantically searching for the kind doctor, but she didn't find him there. All she saw was patients sitting on chairs and a young lady attending to one of them with a bandage.

She rushed to the lady, "Please, where's doctor Jade? M-My mother, she's hurt. There, there's blood all over. She fell from the stairs and had an abortion. Please get the doctor, please." Tears that stopped during her run returned flowing.

The nurse regarded her. She knew who this girl was, everybody knew. This is the cursed girl, the demon of the prophecy who everyone loathed, but right now, she was frightened by her appearance. Blood smeared her face and covered her cloth. She was shaking and panting heavily, her eyes held a panicked look to them. The tears mixing with blood on her cheek made her all the more fearful in the nurse's eye.

She cowered away, bringing her hands in front of her, "St-Stay away, stay away from me. Doctor Jade isn't here. A wagon broke down on the road to Arkhanta and he went there to help".

Irma looked at her pleadingly "Please, you got to help me. You got to help my mom, please".

"GET OUT OF HERE YOU DEMON", shouted one of the patients, an old Mrs. Cole. She brought her cane and started swinging it in front of her. "Get out before you curse us all. GET OUT".

Irma pleaded again "But my mother, sh-". The old lady didn't give her time to finish. "We can't help her. Nobody can. She got cursed and if we help her, we'll get cursed too".

Then Mrs. Cole started to cry, tears came running down her face. "She was such a nice lady. Well mannered, kind and good hearted, I warned her about you, I told her you're a bad omen, and that you'd be the death of us all, but she didn't listen to me. And now she is paying for it." Then her face twisted into that of red anger and started to shake "It's your fault. It's all your fault. You're cursed. Where ever you go, death follows".

"But, but". Again Irma wasn't able to finish. She had to jump backwards to avoid being hit by the cane as Mrs. Cole shouted again "OUT. OUT YOU CURSED GIRL. OUT".

Irma turned her face at the other people with pleading eyes, silently asking for their help, but all she got in return was cold hard stares. She then saw a man stand up, heading towards her, his face showing his intentions to hurt her. Irma didn't wait to see what he was going to do. She ran out of the clinic as the man shouted behind her with curses and threats.

She saw a couple nearby cleaning the entrance of their shop. She rushed to them, hoping maybe they would help her. But as soon as the couple saw her coming, they became visibly frightened. The husband stood in front of his wife protectively.

Irma stood in front of them and pleaded for their help, but all of her pleas fell on deaf ears as the man shoved her hard, knocking her off the ground, then he and his wife entered the store. Irma was rubbing her eyes from the dirt that entered them when she saw the man exit the store with a metal rod, advancing towards her. She quickly ran away before he could hit her.

She can hear the sound of windows and doors closing as she ran past a few houses. She heard a mother telling her child, "Don't look at her or you'll get cursed".

Her tears increased and her chest tightened. She felt a million things, she felt alone, outcast, scared, hurt, dirty, sad and pain, she felt a lot of pain. She willed her legs to go faster, to take her home, to where she felt safe, to where she knows she is loved and wanted.

She rushed into the house and was about to throw herself at her mother, but froze when she saw how her mother's condition has worsen.

Her mother's face has turned deathly pale with beads of sweat all over her forehead. Her breath had slow down to the point where Irma didn't think her mother was breathing anymore, if it weren't for the tiniest bit of movement in her chest.

Irma sat down beside her mother eyes closed, trying hard to fight her tears that were already running down. She had promised her mom to be strong, but right now, all that Irma wanted was to hug her mother tightly and never let go, but she was afraid to hurt her mother more by doing so. But when her mother warped an arm around her, pulling her lightly to an embrace, Irma couldn't stop the surge of emotions that filled her and threw herself onto her mother, crying and trembling, pulling hard on her mother's cloth.

Sarah stroked the head of her frightened daughter softly, "It's gonna be...alright...sweetheart...it's gonna be...alright".

Tough the words were meant to be comforting, it didn't make Irma feel any better, she cried even harder. "Irma...remember what...I told you...that day...about life...remember your...promise". Sarah asked her daughter weakly. Irma thought back to that day.

Flashback

It was after finishing her morning training. Her mother decided they should rest under the shade of a big tree. While they were sitting there, Sarah saw her daughter scratching her birthmark, trying to hide it with her cloth, "Irma, stop it. Listen to me".

"I don't want you to hate your birthmark, or your life. Just because some old crazy people say that you are a demon, or a cursed girl, that doesn't make it true". She then bend down and kissed her daughter's neck. "This is a part of you, of the whole you. Your father and I love you whole. Body, mind and soul. You are our shining sun, the bright light in our life".

She then stood up, a warm smile on her face. "Your birthmark doesn't decide your destiny, your actions does. If you always do what's right, keep hoping, keep smiling to life, life will grant you its hope, grants you its happiness, that's for sure." She then pointed to the tree they were standing in its shade. "What you plant is what you get, it's all in due time, it's as simple as that".

She then looked her daughter in eye, "Promise me Irma, that you'll never lose hope, no matter what happens, no matter what life throws at you, you'll always face it with a smile. Promise me." Irma nodded her head, "Okay Mom. I promise".

End of flash back

Irma nodded her head, tears falling on her mother's arm with her movement.

"Then let me...see it...your smile...one last time". Her mother said with a weak smile.

Irma said through her sobs, "Please Mom. Don't, don't leave me. Please".

Her mother shook her head, she then took one of Irma's hand and put it on her silver trinket on Irma's chest, then she brought her hand to Irma's cheek caressing it. "I'll...always be...with you...watching you...and Tom...from above...so please...before I go...show it to me".

One hand held the trinket, the other held on to her mother's, she closed her eyes, rubbing her face on her mother's hand, taking in her smell. She then opened her eyes and granted her mother's final wish. She gave her a smile, a sad smile, hot tears running down her cheek, spilling over their hands. Her mother looked at her, a small smile formed on her lips "Never...lose hope...Irma...I love...you". She then closed her eyes, her arm fell still beside her and she stopped breathing.

Her vision became hazy once again, "I love you too Mom". She said quietly. She then took the hand under her cheek and placed it beside her mother. Then she brought her head on her mother's chest and started to cry.

About half an hour later, the doors burst open and Dr. Jade came rushing in with his bag. "I came as fast as I...". He couldn't finish his sentence. He dropped his bag and brought a hand over his face, a faint, "Oh my". Was the only thing he managed to say. He then walked slowly to Irma, who's crying has reduced to quite sobs, shaking ever so little every now and then. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

At first, Irma's eyes widen in fear, her breath caught in her chest. She didn't hear anybody enter and got frightened. But the hand on her shoulder wasn't threatening. It felt kind and warm.

Irma turned her face to see the owner of this hand and when she saw that it belonged to the old doctor, she relaxed visibly. Her eyes moved and locked with his. All she saw in them is sympathy and understanding. She threw herself at him crying a new.

Dr. Jade took Irma to his house to stay there till the return of her father. Then he and the gravedigger prepared Sarah's body for the funeral, after sending one of his friends to get the colonel, who came little after sunset.

When Tom came and hugged his daughter, there were no words spoken between them, there was no need, his tears and strong embrace were stronger than any spoken words. He held her in his arm until she fell asleep.

The number of people who came to the funeral in the next day was few, about twenty, including a few of her relatives and friends from Arkhanta, along with the small family and the doctor.

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After the funeral, Tom and Irma went to Arkhanta, so that Tom can ask for a change in his job, to be stationed in Heatherfield. When they entered the city, Irma didn't feel that much of a change; true the houses looks different, there are a lot of shops, a lot of wagons on the streets and all of those things that make it a wealthy center. But somehow, her reputation raced her here and the looks she got from the people here were more furious than those she got in Heatherfield.

At least in Heatherfield, people lower their gaze whenever her father was with her, they feared and respected him. But here, they didn't give her father the respect his position as a high ranking colonel demanded, even the low ranking soldiers looked at her with loath, some nobles even called them names and yelled at them to leave and get out. One look of her father and they all went mute.

They made their way to the headquarters of the knights, where General Lee, Tom's superior was. Tom then went into a heated argument with his superior that almost ended in a court-martial for Tom, if it weren't for the Duke's intervention, who ended the dispute with a solution that both parties agreed upon.

Tom would be stationed in Heatherfield, with a two weeks vacation to grieve his wife, but he won't work as a colonel but as a captain of the local guards there.

_"This is the second time that Duke Hale defends that demon and her father."_ Thought Lee to himself bitterly when he was alone. _"Tom saved him and his family once, so what? That demon should be executed not cared for."_He was pacing his room in anger then he slowed down a bit_ "Then again, maybe now the Duke won't feel obligated to the man after this and with little persuasion, I would have him see the threat that demon poses, then I will avenge my uncle."_ He then went back to finish some paper work he had.

Tom, after thanking the Duke and bid him farewell, he went back to Heatherfield with Irma. But they couldn't return to their old house, it was too painful for the both of them, so they moved into a new smaller one.

Although the loss of Sarah left a gaping hole in their hearts, Tom felt a burden on his shoulders as big as his loss. Sarah wasn't just Irma's mother, she was also her teacher, her friend, her partner in crimes and schemes. He didn't think he could manage it alone, but still, he is all that Irma has right now and he will do his best to lessen the loss on her.

Little did he know that his daughter had similar thoughts to his. She knew how much he loved her mother. She saw him, late in the night, when he thinks that she is asleep, he would go out and train, then he would stop and gaze at the stars, sometimes she would see him tremble a little as if he was crying, but she couldn't be sure. Their loss was hard, but they had each other: a shoulder to lean and cry on, a reason to be strong and move forward.

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Time passed, six months to be precise, when something strange happened. In one of the rainy afternoons, where Tom and Irma were sitting in the living room, they heard a knock on their door.

Since the death of Sarah, the fear of the curse has returned to square one, if not more, so it was very strange for somebody to knock on their door.

Tom went to answer, tailed by a curious Irma. They saw a hooded figure, that let the hood down once Tom opened the door, reveling a somewhat tan women. She moved her brown wet hair from her face and gave them a warm smile, "Hello, my name is Anna Bannister. I just moved in from 'Warm Lake' City and will be your new neighbor".

"Hello", Tom replayed wary as he took in her tattered brown cloak that covered an old blue dress she wore.

"I was wondering if you could lend me a hand." She pointed over her shoulder to her right. "You see, the wagon driver left my stuff at the head of the road saying that he won't move any closer. It seemed that he, as well as the rest of the town people here, are afraid of getting cursed or something just walking near you".

"Aren't you afraid?" Asked Irma tentatively from behind her father.

The older woman looked at her with a smile. "I don't believe you are a demon that's going to curse me. And even if you were, I'll take my chances. I can't afford to waste this opportunity. The houses near you are almost free".

She then turned her brown eyes at Tom, "So are you gonna help me out or what? They're quite heavy for me".

He turned his face and true to her words, there was a pile of boxes at the head of the road. He turned to the women in front of him with a smile, "Sure thing." Then he indicated for his daughter to follow, "Come on Irma, you'll help too".

They helped carry the stuff to their neighbor's door. As Irma moved the tenth box, she couldn't keep herself from asking "You really have a lot of stuff, don't you?"

Anna gave a small laugh "Most of them are books though".

Tom looked at Anna puzzled "Books?"

"Yes, books. I'm going to open a book shop here." She replayed with amusement in her voice.

He replied with a sigh "Not a lot of people come here. This place is no tourist attraction you know".

Anna gave him a wink "Not when I'm done with it".

Still, even though Anna was a hard worker and had a way with words and speeches, she didn't get the success she was aiming for. Instead, she started home schooling for a living, selling some books here and there.

Anna may have lost her dream with the shop, but it wasn't that bad. The Lair family has added her to their small ring, their cozy family, made her feel welcomed. They weren't like anything she thought them to be and she became attached to them more than they are to her. She began to see them as her family and wished to truly be a part of it, but she didn't want to intrude upon them, little did she know that Tom had similar wishes, he was just waiting for the right time.

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On one afternoon, he came to her door alone and said he wanted to talk to her about something and when she asked him about Irma, he answered that she is training in the hill and would be out for awhile. After some casual talking, he looked at her and told her about his wish to marry her. He told her that he loves her, that he wants her to be his wife.

At first, she couldn't say anything; she was unable to find her voice. All she could do was nodding her head as her tears found its way on her face, they were tears of joy and in that moment, there was nobody else in the world, only the two of them lost in the others loving gaze.

Then she remembered something, "What about Irma? Is she okay with this?" She asked pensively.

Tom looked her in the eye, "I didn't talk to her about this. I wanted to know your answer first. I know that she loves you and I also know that she needs a mother. A father alone isn't enough and I won't find a better woman than you." He answered her lovingly.

"But nobody wants a Stepmother and I know she still misses her mother. I don't want Irma to hate me. I don't want to ruin what you have." She replayed with a concerned voice as she moved away from him.

He turned her to face him, "Irma doesn't only like you, she loves you. You can see it in her face when she's around you. She misses her mother a lot, but she sees a part of her in you." He replayed warmly.

After he squeezed her hand affectionately, he added quietly: "She needs you, and so do I." Anna couldn't talk anymore and they hugged. After breaking up, Tom suggested that they wait in their house for Irma and tell her the news. Irma came in the house after a few moments. She greeted both adults happily. Her father told her that he had something to tell her after she takes a shower.

When Irma came back and took her seat in front of them, her father told her about their plans to the future.

As soon as his words clicked in Irma's head, she looked at them in shock, blood drained from her face. "You ca-can't marry A-Anna". She chocked out while she was shaking her head, tears forming in her eyes.

Her father expected that she may disagree but not like this. He reached out to her, "Honey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I…I won't allow you…to marry Anna". She said through her sobs, head down.

"But why? She is a nice lady. You love her and she loves you back. Don't you want us to be happy?"

She snapped her head up, tears falling freely; she exploded at him, "I don't love her, **I HATE HER AND I HATE YOU**." She then stormed out of the house, leaving her father on the ground, arms outstretched, and his face showing the pain his daughter's word caused.

Anna was devastated by Irma's outburst and was about to leave. But when she saw Tom, eyes closed, his right over his forehead pulling on his hair, she changed her destination.

She sat beside him and pulled his hand from his head. His eyes turned to hers, "Anna…you know that Irma didn't mean it. She didn't mean anything she said."

"I know. She would never hate you."

"Neither would she hate you. She loves you. I'm sure of it. She's just being scared". He replied heatedly.

She gave him a weak smile. "Let's not rush things now, okay? The first thing we need to do is to find Irma and calm her down." And with that, they went after the girl.

She was nowhere in sight, but it seemed that Tom knew where his daughter went, "Come on, she is in the graveyard." He urged Anna.

Once they entered it, the sound of Irma's sobs reached them. They slowed down and stopped behind a tombstone, thinking of the words their going to say when they heard Irma talking between her sobs.

"Why…don't they understand…why they want to…hurt me like this…isn't it enough that I'm cursed…that I killed my mother…and now they…" She was on her knees in front of her mother's grave trembling. She lowered her head and clutched the trinket. "It still hurts Mom…it still hurts…and I…I can't bear it happening again". She broke down crying.

Tom rushed and held his daughter tight followed by a tearful Anna.

"Oh Irma". Tom said as he rocked his daughter back and forth, "Didn't we talk about this before? You didn't kill your mother, it was an accident".

"But if it weren't for me…the people would've helped her…saved her…because I'm a cursed demon, nobody helped her…it's because of me that she died…I killed her, I…" She broke down in tears again.

"Shhh. There, there now." He started to stroke her head "Irma, honey. You are my sunshine and my blessed light from heaven. You are not a demon and you are not cursed, I don't want to hear anymore of this." He kept his embrace till she calmed down a little.

Irma then turned her face to the tearful Anna behind them "I'm sorry. I don't hate you Anna, but I'm scared of losing you, _of cursing you_." She said the last part in a low voice and Tom was about to replay but Anna beat him, "Throwing me out of your life is the only curse you can do to me." She then warped her arms around the father and daughter, "I can't imagine my life without both you in it." They all hugged in silent save for the few sobs now and then.

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Two weeks later, Tom and Anna got married and life began to return joyful in the Lair house. But like all good things, it never last long. After a month, Prince Phobos had led a coup and seized the throne. In response, a huge army from Arkhanta went to take control of the situation.

Five days have passed and no news came from that said army. People started to feel worried and Heatherfield was on alert status, being the nearest area to Kandrakar and the way to Arkhanta, made it a likely target.

At dawn, a few watch guards saw the return of their army, raising the flags of victory. They rang the bell to announce the news. The town people gathered in the central area to welcome the heroes. Tom was helping for the celebration when the war horn sounded. People got filled with confusion and panic.

Tom took his commanding role, "Everyone, stop whatever you are doing and head for the shelter immediately." He then turned to the soldiers near him and issued the orders. The soldiers followed the protocol and started to organize the people. Tom then ordered one of the soldiers to go to the defense post and bring status report.

As the man was about to leave, they saw a cloud of dust from the same direction, which turned out to be the second in command on his horse, moving towards them real fast.

People formed a circle around the black haired man, their eyes following his every move and they strained their ears trying to know what's going on.

The man dismounted his horse, "Captain Lair, Sir. It's a sneak attack." He then took a deep breath and continued, "At first we thought it was our army that was approaching, but Major Antony saw that the army's formation and movement was strange and noticed that most of their troops are zombies and skeletons. He brought it to our attention and sounded the alarm."

"Henry, are you telling me that our army lost? All four generals?" Tom said in shock, visibly frightened by the mere thought. Henry shook his head, "The knights have sided with Phobos, Sir. General Raythor is leading the biggest army of demons towards us".

If the people were scared before; they were now terrified. They ran, pushed and stepped on each other, all trying to get inside the shelter at the same time. Some soldiers tried to organize them but got hit in return.

Tom seemed much older than he is. His eyes were closed in deep thinking trying to find a solution, but to no avail. He looked calm on the outside but his second saw through him "Sir?" He asked. Tom gave a heavy sigh and voiced his thought to the man. "If it is as you say, then we don't stand a chance in head on attack. Our best bet would be to hold them at the gates, taking advantage of the high ground till the backup arrive from Arkhanta. But we can't risk the lives of the town people in the shelter here. If the enemy breaks through, or if the reinforcements come late, this village will be burned to the ground and I don't know any other safe place to hide them in".

Henry thought for a moment, "There are nearby mountains to the west. Maybe there is some cave they can hide in or something. We can ask a shepherd, he should know that area the best".

Tom nodded his head in approval. "Okay then, it settled. Inform the soldiers of the new plan and let them organize the people out of the shelter. Also make Dr. Jade in charge of the evacuation procedure, he is a wise man that they all respect and obey."

Henry saluted and was about to leave when Tom stopped him. "There is a favor I would like to ask of you Henry." The lieutenant raised an eyebrow "Sir?

"I want you to be the one to go Arkhanta and bring the reinforcements and inform the Duke of the situation. I want you to do that and take my daughter with you".

Something flashed in the Henry's eye, but it vanished just as fast as it appeared. He snapped in attention position and said with a stony expression on his face "With all due respect Sir, I cannot follow that order. It goes against my belief to help a demon."

Tom shook his head. "This is not an order Lieutenant. I am asking you as a friend, a fellow father. Please take my daughter to safety." He then put a hand on the man's shoulder "She's everything to me, the only daughter I have, and you are the only one who can do it, the only one I can trust".

Henry looked at his superior for a moment, then he closed his eyes. "I will go and organize the evacuation. After that I will report to you at the gate and ride directly to the Duke's office asking for backup. I won't be looking back so I wouldn't know if somebody tailed me." Tom's face broke into a smile of relief. "That's all I ask of you Henry." And with that, both men went their separate ways.

In a moment, Tom reached his house. His family was sitting in the living room waiting and as soon as they saw him enter, they rushed to him and hugged. His wife then asked. "What's going on dear?"

"No time to explain, it's not safe in the village anymore. You have to leave and join the villagers in the evacuation." He replied.

Anna gave him a puzzled look "They wouldn't allow Irma to join them and even if they did, I wouldn't let her go. It's not safe for her to be trapped with scared and angry people like that".

Tom shook his head, "You will go to the caves Anna. Irma will join Henry and get back-up from Arkhanta."

"Henry hates Irma. Did you see the looks he gives her whenever he sees her? Tom, he'll hurt her." She argued.

"Henry is a man of honor. He won't hurt Irma." Tom said firmly.

Anna embraced the small girl protectively,"I won't leave my daughter in danger."

Tom hanged his head low and gave a sigh, then said in tired tone, "Anna, if you knew how to ride, I would've let you go with them. The enemy is at the gate and we don't have time for this. Please Anna, it's already hard as it is. Don't make it any harder".

Irma was switching her gaze between her parents as they argued, her eyes showing her fear. But when Anna warped her arms around her and called her 'My daughter', tears welled up in those eyes. She tried to hold them in, but her defenses went down when her father said his last sentence.

He wanted her to bring backup, to get help. There was a plea and desperation in his voice, just like her mother before she died. The memory was still fresh in her mind, her chest tightened. She turned to her father and shouted "**No. I won't go there. I can help you. I can fight with you. I've been training every day. Dad, I can protect myself.** I don't wanna go there. I don't wanna leave you." Then she added in a whisper as her tears poured freely, _"I don't wanna lose you too"_.

Tom knelt down and hugged her tightly, "It's going to be alright sunshine. It's going to be alright. I'm scared of losing you too, but we don't have any better choice." He then held her at arm length "Tell you what? Let's make a deal. You go to Arkhanta and I'll come back as fast as I could, hopefully I'll be the one to tuck you in bed tonight." "Promise?" He smiled. "I promise".

A second horn sounded. Tom turned to Anna. "It's time to go. They're leaving now." Anna hugged her husband, "You better keep your promise and come back." "When did I ever go back on my word?"

She then hugged her stepdaughter. "I'll be at your side before you notice it sweetie. Stay safe, okay?" Then she went and joined the fleeting villagers.

Tom and Irma rode to the gate and saw Henry waiting. He saluted, "The evacuation has just began, they should reach a safe cave in 30 minutes. As for the soldiers, they brought all the arrows and weapons from the stores and are awaiting further orders, Sir." Tom nodded his head in approval, then he turned to his daughter and hugged her "Don't do any traps or troubles there okay? You just do as they tell you to do and everything will be fine." He then turned to man in front of him, "Henry. You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you." The man just saluted, "I'll be heading out now, Sir".

He rode off to Arkhanta followed by Irma. The ride was uneventful and they went straight to the Duke and informed him of the situation. Since the coup five days ago, the Duke has gathered a big army from all over the country. Ninjas, mages, rangers and knights have once again joined forces to fight the demons. Around fifteen thousands have gathered and more are to come in the next week. However, the Duke issued the order to mobilize the gathered forces and stop the demons progress.

Irma watched the army leave from the window in one of the barracks room she's been put in. As much as she wanted to go with them, she promised her parents to stay here in safety, even if she did feel somewhat lonely in this guarded room, like some kind of a prisoner. She busied herself by some magic training to pass time till she got tired and fell asleep.

She woke up to the sound of commotion in the barracks. From the light that is coming through the window, it was late noon. She got out and saw the army retune through the gates along with the evacuated people from Heatherfield. Nobody was visibly harmed or injured, but their walking was off balance. It was as if they were barely able to stand, let alone walk. Their eyes looked hunted and a heavy atmosphere accompanied them.

She wanted to go and ask them about her father but feared their reaction, feared the answer. She then spotted Anna among them and rushed to her. Anna hugged her tightly. "What's going on? Where's Dad?" Drops of tears fell on Irma's head, "I'm sorry Irma. I'm sorry".

Irma pushed away, "No, your laying. He promised. He said he'll come if I went. He promised me." Anna embraced her again, "It's going to be alright Irma. It's going to be alright." Then they both broke down in tears.

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"Oh that part always brings tears to my eyes." Said the old librarian lady startling the reading teens.

They turned around and she looked at them sheepishly. "I didn't mean to say it load, sorry if I scared you. I was just passing by, putting some books in their places when I overheard you." She then waved a wrinkled hand, "Do continue, I bothered you long enough. I still have to return these books." And with that, she left humming in a low tune.

Ahmed was the first to speak "Well that was weird".

Alex was about to reply when Jenny sniffed. He turned to her "Umm, Jenny. Your makeup is kinda of ruined".

Jenny stood up and headed to the bathroom. In midway, she came back, took her bag, "I'll be gone for a second. Wait for me."

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A.N : My thanks to all of the readers, especially who left me a review : XV-Dragon and DeathSound. You really made my day brighter.

Another thanks to my friend, Nadeer, for helping with the plot (and keeping up with me till 1 a.m on some occasions. Thanks man, don't know what I'll do without you).

Lastly, I would like to thank 'Girl of Light Writer' for betareading and improving this chapter.

This was one hard sad chapter to write, too much emotions with rapid switch between apexes and bases (it has to meet the genere 'Angst' right? the adventure part will come in later, I promise) . I do hope I got the images right.

And don't forget about the faithful readers of the story, Alex Ahmed and Jenny, they would make an apperance every now and then. I have them for a reason, you just have to wait and see.

The next part will take awhile to come, around a month or so, (hey dont blame me. Jenny takes a lot to finish her makeup :P

Oh and leave a review please. Thanks.


	6. Her past part 3

Irma's Tale

By Lost Prince

Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H

A.N : I know this is somewhat late, but to give some idea to the format and point of view of this fic.

In the real life, it will be in third person. For Caleb's writing (notes and records of his interviews), you can picture them as old hand writing on that yellow old paper. For the main story, instead of making it in the person/persons wording, it is written in third person (again).

And if there scene change, I will write where the destination will be to lesser any confusion.

Hope this makes more clear. (Thanks for the suggestion Starwin). On to the story.

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"Okay, I'm back, sorry for the delay. Umm, where did Ahmed go?" Jenny asked as she sat back at the table.

"The usual, he got a call from his father and went outside to answer it." Alex replied nonchalantly.

After awhile Ahmed retuned, he sat down and looked at the smiling faces of his friends.

"I have to watch over my little brother tonight, so I need to be home before seven." Then he opened the book, "Come on, I want to know what happens next".

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_Continue Chapter Three : Her Past ( part3)_

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Duke Hale walked up to a black-haired Chinese man, "What's the meaning of this General? You are supposed to be at Heatherfield right now, stopping the demons attack". The man didn't even salute; he stood there in silence, his gaze on the ground, and then said in a defeated tone, "There is no Heatherfield to defend Sir. By the time we reached the village, it was too late".

"Elaborate, General".

"There is nothing to say really. When we reached it, there was nothing. No demons, soldiers or houses, there was no village. It was as if it never existed. The only thing that proved that there was a village is the remnants of the high walls that surrounded it and this". He gave him a sealed letter tainted in red.

"How did you get this Lee?" Harold said as he took the letter, looking at it pensively.

"It was attached to an impaled body on top of the walls. A letter from Phobos". Harold looked at his general for a while, and then he turned, "First we have to deal with the people from Heatherfield village. I want you to issue the order for the soldiers. After that, I want you to come to my office". He bowed, "At once my lord". Lee returned to the Duke after doing as told. He saw him standing near the big windows. He wasn't staring at anything in particular. Lee gave a cough to announce his presence.

"It's on the desk. Read it." He replied in a defeated tone, still facing the window. Lee took the letter in his hands and read it silently:

_To my unfaithful follower Duke Hale,_

_News has reached my ears that an army is gathering in __**my city**__ Arkhanta, disturbing the peace there and __**affecting my tax money collection, which is not acceptable at all**__. I'm not pleased with your performance up till now Hale, in fact I'm very disappointed with you only leaving half of the knights under my disposal to act as my Death Lords. I won't accept anything less than the whole knights under my command. _

_I will give you no longer than three days to correct your mistake or Raythor and the rest will make sure that another Heatherfield incident will occur._

_It is great to be surrounded by those who have __**complete trust in you**__, don't you think so, Hale?_

_Meridian's Ruler, Necromancer Phobos_

Lee put the letter on the desk and turned to face the man, who was still looking out the window. "Your Excellency. In less than one week, the rest of the troops will have gathered and when that happens, we will show Phobos who is in command. We outnumber him and have more battle experience". Lee heard the Duke give a sigh.

"Lee. Did you read it carefully?" He turned around and walked to his fancy, brown, wooden desk in the center of the room, "The last line Lee. The last line is my defeat".

"_It is great to be surrounded by those who have __**complete trust in you**__, don't you think so, __**Hale**_". His general re-read the last line. He looked at the Duke and said in disbelieving tone "But he can't possibly control everyone".

"Lee." Harold began to rub his temples as he sat on the red cushioned chair, "It's not as hard as you think it is. To put it bluntly, aside from the knights, not a lot have any trust or faith in me. Rumors have been going around for ages, implying that I want to be the king…that the Knights are planning to take over Meridian". He then looked at the Chinese man in front of him "And now with four of my generals siding with Phobos, these rumors have the ground it needed to stand on. Meaning even if we now go and march to him with this army of collected troops-"

"He would use these rumors, break the forces apart and turn them against us." Lee finished for him then added, "He'd finish us without lifting a finger". Harold nodded his head silently. "So what's the plan then?"

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Later that day, the barracks were open for the refuges and they were given food for the time being, until they could manage on their own. Before the moon settled in the sky, most of them slept very fast due to their tiredness, though a lot of them cried themselves to sleep.

All but a seven year old girl who kept staring at the stars, sometime she would grasp the silver trinket that hung around her neck, other time she would hold the twin daggers that she trained with. Though they belonged to her mother, it was her last gift she received from her father on her birthday.

Flashback

They walked to the open hill and instead of the usual training with a wooden sword. Her father moved to a shade of a big tree.

"Irma, come here please". She sat beside him on the grass. He had a far away gaze in the horizon. He then turned to his daughter with a sad smile and opened a small box he had been carrying with him. She looked inside and saw her mother's twin daggers, wedding ring, as well as a sketch of her mother and father at what seemed to be their weeding day.

"She was supposed to give you these daggers when you reach the age of seven along with the speech that I'm about to give". He turned his face to the sky, "Irma do you know what your name means?" She shook her head in response. "Irma is the name of a water spirit that has the sea under her command. You remember the stories we told you about the sea? What it represents?" She nodded her head.

"Strength. Just like how the sun is the greatest symbol of hope, the sea is the greatest symbol of strength." Then she started to count on her fingers "The sea caries the big ships, breaks the rocks and flood the land, right?" Tom smiled at her.

"Let's say them in a different way shall we?" He started with her index finger.

"The Sea's forgiveness is the strongest. No matter how much the people throw at it, not only does it takes them and their ships from one place to the other, the sea also supplies them with food and treasures like pearls." Then he went to her middle finger.

"The Sea's will is the strongest as well. No matter how many sharp rocks breaks its currents, it never stops the sea from coming back again until it makes all the sharp rock smooth and even breaks them apart in the end." Then he finished with her ring finger.

"The Sea's might is the strongest; it can sink islands, with all of its lands, mountains and forests." He then looked his daughter in the eye, "You are a sea spirit Irma, you must have all three. I know it sounds hard but you must find it in your heart to be forgiving, even to those who hurt you. I don't want you to hold grudges on those who call you demon. One day, the truth will shine brighter than the sun. However, your will must be strong enough so that you won't fall from the obstacles in your way. You have to keep moving forward, keep hoping for that day. But hope alone can't do anything." He took out the twin daggers and placed them in her hands, "You have to be strong to be able to protect your beliefs, hopes and dreams. Protect yourself and those you care for".

She looked at him as he counted on her fingers again, "Strong in forgiveness, will and might. Just like the sea Irma, just like the sea". He then ruffled her hair "Enough of this talk. Time to see how you do with real weapons".

End of Flashback

"Just like the sea." She repeated to herself. She closed her eyes as sleep finally took over her, hoping the next day would better than this one. However, it looks like the worst has yet to come. Before midday, the news of Arkhanta's surrender spread out.

To the city's inhabitants, mainly the nobles and the rich, it was a good call and they supported it. A town disappeared with its inhabitants in less than two hours had shaken any will they had to resist, not to mention the war would affect their business.

But for the rest of the nation, it wasn't like that. Only a few clans of the ninja's joined Arkhanta, whereas the rest named the Duke, a compliance of Phobos. They withdrew their troops to their respective origins and each group started to fight on its own, fearing betrayal from the other as well as trying to protect their own land first.

There was another group of people that didn't agree to the decision but for different reasons, some wanted revenge for their fallen comrades or loved ones, others wanted their little village back. Though they had different reasons for hatred, the receiving end was one. They blamed the demon girl for it.

"That devil must've done something for the Duke to make him act this way. He never would've surrendered without a fight."

"She really is cursed. In less than a day she brought this city to its knees and thrown the country in chaos." Those were some of the talk the soldiers had among themselves, and with Mrs. Cole fueling their anger, adding salt in the wounds, things aren't looking bright and sunny as they circled around the Lair family of mother and daughter.

"**SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND LEAVE US ALONE.**" Shouted an angry Anna as she stood in front of her stepdaughter protectively. She turned fiery brown eyes at the angry mob "You think you're **the cursed ones here**? Well think again**. **We've had **it rough from day one**. Our house was **burned to the ground** and _**Tom**_…" She chocked his name out as she shook violently "He-"

"He got what he deserved for helping a demon." A black haired soldier in full uniform of blue cloth interrupted her talk.

"What?" Both Lairs had shocked faces.

The thin man continued, "Guess his master finished him off after Tom finished his duties. That's the fitting end for a demon lover I'd sa-"

He got slapped in the face by an angry Anna as she narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Tom was more honorable than you ever would be. He sacrificed his life saving our village. Don't you dare dishonor my husband's memory in front of me".

"Now…" The soldier said in a low voice, his left on his redden cheek, "_You've really done it_". He quickly pulled her by the hair and drew her close "I'll make you _wish_ you hadn't done that". He threw her to the ground, then turned and ordered two bulky soldiers behind him "Hold her down".

"**DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY MOTHER**." Exploded the small girl. She bolted to the soldier, who raised his sword and slashed at her. She sidestepped avoiding the hit, then in one swift motion, pulled one of her daggers and jumped beyond him, slashing his side. He fell to one knee, clutching his side. Irma took out her other dagger and stood in a fighting stance in front of her stepmother.

"Don't you dare touch my mother." She repeated, fire dancing in her eyes, her trinket glowing a faint blue. The man noticed the glow and smirked "My mistake is that I underestimated you, I didn't think that you were trained. That trinket, you used the silver to enhance your speed eh? You live up to your name demon. Come on, let's finish this." He indicated to his companions. They moved closer with their weapons, one axe and two swords ready to strike.

Although she had three years of training, she didn't have any real experience and was no match for true soldiers. Taking advantage of her speed, she rushed to the nearest one, the biggest of them. She sent slashed aimed for his side, but he blocked it with ease. He slashed at her, which she dodged and dashed for a fast counter, but the handle of his axe found its way to her abdomen. She jumped back, clutched her middle. As soon as she looked up, she saw the axe coming down at her. She tried to block it, but got thrown away from the force of the blow, her daggers on the ground, out of her reach. Anna rushed to her side, but got knocked to the ground by other bulky man.

"Take a look at your precious demon." He said after pinning her to the ground, holding her head with his hand. She opened her eyes and saw the soldier kick her stepdaughter once, twice. Anna shouted at them to stop, struggled to break free but to no avail. The soldier then raised Irma by her hair with one hand and turned to Anna with a sick smile on his face. "Any last words for her woman?" Anna doubled her efforts and strained her voice at them, at the people gathered around to stop this, but all her cries went unanswered.

Irma was clawing at her captive's hand, but with him wearing leather gloves, it had no effect. She tried to kick him but he slammed her to the ground in response, she tried to scramble away but he pinned her with his boot. The soldier then raised his sword and posed to strike. A maniacal laugh sounded from the right. All of Arkhanta's residents froze in their places, fear evident in their features. A thin woman in a yellow dress appeared from the crowd. Her greenish blond hair covering half of her pale face, the other half reveled a crazy grin and a piercing green eye. She walked to them in slow, elegant, overconfident steps. With every step she took, people parted away from her path till she stopped in front of the soldier who started all of this.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said in sing a song voice. Then her looks got crazier as she added, "Unless you want to see what your insides look like, if you do, then oh please do continue." She vanished and appeared behind him holding his neck in a blue glowing hand and whispered in his ear "It's been a long time since I heard a man scream his soul out. I'll make sure to savor your every scream".

The man jumped away and slashed at her but she vanished before his sword connected. He started to swing his sword around himself. "Stay away from me Banshee. Stay away or I'll chop your head off." Just as he finished his words, he got imprisoned in an ice cage. The Banshee's laughter echoed all around him.

"You think your _toy_ can hurt me?" She appeared in front of him and grabbed his sword, which shattered in her grasp as small pieces of ice fell to the ground, "As if". The other two ran toward the Banshee to strike her from behind. Without turning back, she raised her hands and an ice wall came out of nowhere and took the blunt of their attack. She lowered her hands and the ice wall instantly melted, water spilled on their weapons. She looked at them with glee as she snapped her finger; the water instantly froze up, freezing their hands with their weapons to the ground.

"I wonder if the ice is going to shatter like his sword did." She stopped in front of them and traced her fingers on their frozen hands slowly. "Though I'm sure this ice will be red in color this time." She then gave a small laugh and snapped her fingers in the air. The men panicked, cried out and tried to pull away but couldn't, and the crazy laughter grow higher.

"Oh, how you scream even when I don't do a thing." She then hunched down so that she was whispering in their ears, "You do know that I didn't break the ice, right?" Both men looked to their hands, and true to her words, the ice that encased their hands was still intact. It took them a moment to understand this, and then they almost cried from happiness knowing they still had their hands. But the joy of this discovery was soon replaced by terror once again, when they looked in front of them to that maniacal face. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.

"Priceless. If this is only from fear, I can't imagine what the real thing would make you do." She tilted her head to one side and said with a small smile, "Do you know why nothing happened when I snapped my fingers a moment ago?" They shook their head no. Her small smile turned to a grin. "Because I got a better idea. One that I'm sure we all are gonna enjoy." She then turned her face and sang, "O Demon Girl. This is your lucky day".

Irma knotted her brows at the mention of her 'nickname'; she looked at the woman in front of her.

"I'm not a demon and I have a name. Irma". The Banshee raised an eyebrow.

"We have a feisty one here." She then asked, "Aren't you the little bit scared of me?"

"Why would I be? You just saved me from them." Irma stated. The woman's face broke into a huge grin, she patted Irma on the head, and then she put a hand on Irma's shoulders and pushed her to the trapped men.

"Anyway, back to our subject of the day." She waved a hand in front of her, "How are you going to kill them? You can just say how and I'll do the rest".

Irma saw the fear evident in their eyes; she even noticed one had wet himself.

"Have mercy please. I have a wife and two kids waiting for me at home." One of them pleaded. The Blond woman narrowed her eyes dangerously and hissed, "You should've thought of that before attacking someone's daughter." Her hands and eyes glowed an eerie blue as she took a step toward him, "Killing you a thousand time won't be enough".

The man's face went white as chalk and he whimpered "N-No, ple-please n-no".

"STOP. DON'T HURT HIM." To everyone's shock, it was Irma who shouted as she stood in the path of the older woman, arms rose in front of the trapped men. The woman's glow died down and she tilted her head to the right.

"You're protecting them? They tried to kill you and that woman. Don't tell me you don't feel anger? That you don't want to them suffer what you suffered?"

"I do feel anger." Irma said clenching her fists, her head low. "I do want them to suffer, to hurt them like they hurt my mom, to kill them like they wanted to kill me, but…but I can't."

"Because…?" The old woman asked intrigued to hear her reasons.

Irma raised her head and said firmly, "Because I'm not a demon, it would be an insult to my parents' memory if I turned out to be a killer." She then lowered her head and added in a low voice, "I also know what it feels like to lose a father".

A smirk found its way on the Banshee's face. She walked silently past Irma and placed her hands on the ice the imprisoned the men. It instantly melted to water, freeing them. "This should've been your last day. You're lucky that she is a kind girl." Then her eyes narrowed as she whispered, "However, I'm not as forgiving as she is. Just try and do something to her or that woman. I promise you and your loved ones, a world of pain _you never knew before_".

"Alright everyone, shows over." She turned around and clapped her hands. "Nothing more to see here. Go on, get lost before I go on you instead." She started to shoo them away.

When the banshee went to free the men, Anna rushed to her daughter's side "Irma honey, are you all right?" She started to run her hand all over Irma face and body. Irma's face flushed with embarrassment

"ANNA. I'm fin-" She hissed when Anna touched her side. Anna lifted her shirt and winced when she saw a bruise from when Irma got kicked before.

"Irma." She said faintly.

Irma shook her head "Anna, don't. It's not your fault. It's me, I wasn't stro-" Suddenly the Banshee came from behind and put a glowing hand on the affected side. At first Irma winced and Anna was about to shout at the woman, when Irma features relaxed visibly.

"All magic has some healing properties. Don't worry, I won't harm her." The Banshee said with a smirk. Then the blue glow encased Irma whole and made her hover a little over the ground. It was as if Irma was in a water bubble. However, her features seemed more relaxed than before as if she was having a pleasant dream.

"Or would I? After all, I am a _Banshee you know_." She said the last part in such a way, it sent chills down Anna's spine. This didn't go unnoticed by the Banshee and she gave a small laugh. It was then that Anna noticed that the woman in front of her had a few fangs in her mouth, like a vampire of some sort, though they weren't protruding out. She also noticed that not all of her face was made from skin; there were some patches of gray stone on it here and there. "I'm not exactly like how it's written in your books now, am I _Anna?_" Said the Banshee after a moment, taking pleasure in how wide Anna's eyes are getting by the second. She then took her hand from Irma "There. That should be enough". As the bubble began to vanish, she took a few steps back, taking in Irma's features as the said girl started to wake up.

"It's like I'm looking at Sarah all over again." She said amused then she added darkly," Only this time, the possibilities now…" She left her sentence hang open and her eyes shone with something Anna couldn't place her finger on, but knew it wasn't in their favor, at all.

"Who, Who are you? How do you know my name? How do you know so much about us? What do you want from us?" Anna blurted all of this at once. The Banshee looked at her with a smirk, one eyebrow raised in amusement "Is this how you treat those who saves your life?" She taunted.

"Who are you?" Anna repeated getting more anxious.

"My lord awaits you at the castle." With that, the Banshee turned around and began to walk.

"What? Why? We're not going anywhere till we get some answers." Anna said defiantly.

The Banshee stopped still for a second. She then turned around with a sharp gaze and repeated in a slow and dangerous tone, _"My lord awaits you at the castle"_. Anna noticed all the signs of danger in that posture, she knew that they can't escape from her and beating her was out of the question, that left her with only one option. She nodded her head and grabbed Irma, who wasn't fully awaken yet and followed the Banshee.

They walked past the guards at the gate, who hurriedly saluted her as "Lady Yue". Said Lady didn't even bother to look at them and went straight ahead, Anna noticed the guards relax and give a sigh of relief. The group made its way around the main building of the castle. They passed a lot of soldiers and officers, the later didn't even dare to spare a glance in their direction, where as the first looked at Yue with such hatred, more than what Irma gets by ten folds at least. Anna thought they would attack them, but they didn't.

_'Do they let anybody move around the castle like this? Not a single soldier asked who we are or what we're doing here? Is all of this fear from Lady Yue? What's her role here? Why this much hatred?'_ Anna was deep in thoughts; she almost crashed into the Banshee if it weren't for Irma tugging her arm at the last second. They stopped in front one of the training grounds.

"Wait here." Order Yue. She then went ahead where Anna saw the back of a dark haired man. He was roughly in his late forties, clad in a cape made of blue fur. Yue approached the man and whispered to him for a few seconds. He nodded his head once, dismissing her. She turned back to Anna. "I have a few things I need to take care of. Once Ari finishes his…_play _with them, he'll have a word with you." She then pointed towards Irma, "And be sure **she**, remembers her place when addressing him. As a Lord, Ari tends to get angry to those who forget this." She then vanished from their sight.

Ari was hunched over his cane, watching over a group of people, who seemed to be training. They didn't wear the knights armor, nor did they train with any. Even their training ground was different from what Anna saw before. She heard Ari gave a bored sigh followed by, "Pathetic." Suddenly he turned to a blue blur as he dashed in, and what Anna thought was a cane, turned out to be a broad sword. He raised his sword up and slashed down, sending a fast energy shot at the training people. Two managed to get away in time while the rest got knocked down.

"You have to be alert to all that happens around you. If this was a real fight, you'd be dead." He sheathed his sword "For now, I want you all practice your sword skills all over again. Next time, the least I expect from you is to block if you can't dodge." Then he faced the two who dodged, "Good work you two. Keep it up." Both men saluted and went back to training.

After giving his final instructions, Ari turned around to the Lairs. As he approached them, he stopped right in front of Irma and gazed intently at her, which she didn't like. Irma wasn't known for her patience or her politeness but since her stepmother asked her to be at her best behavior to this man, she restrained herself, to an extent. She started to move her feet a little, then she looked at him.

"What?" He just kept his stare on her.

Anna saw that Irma was about to give him one of her witty remarks, so she quickly held Irma's shoulder and scolded. "Irma, behave". The little girl said something under her breath and folded her arms in front of her. "I'm sorry, you'd have to excuse my daughter, she tends to-" Anna said to the man in front of her but he interrupted her.

"First of all, she's not your daughter." He said in a calm voice, his gaze still fixed on Irma.

"I beg your pardon?"Anna looked taken aback.

He turned his eyes on her, "This girl is the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Lair, the colonel and the sword dancer respectively".

"How do you know my parents?" Irma's anger was now replaced by curiosity. He ignored the little girl and continued, "We also knew that the cursed girl would be attacked, that's why I made Yue tail her from a far and bring the both of you here".

"I'm not a cursed." The small girl argued. Like before, he ignored her as he took a few steps into the field, "This brings me to the second point. Living in the Duke's barracks isn't safe anymore for the demon girl, I'm sure you know that by now. And I don't think you're going to find anyone who is going to offer you any kind of job as long as you are associated with her".

"Here is my proposal Anna." He turned around, "I will offer you a home and a job. As long as you work for me, I can protect you and that girl from harm. I need someone with good knowledge and can charm people with words. From what I heard, you're blessed with both". Just then, Yue appeared in front of them. Ari nodded his head to her then finished his talk with Anna.

"I expect your answer no later than tomorrow. For now, Yue will take you to your place. That is all". Yue gave Ari two daggers and turned to lead the Lairs' with a knowing smirk.

"If you would follow me-" Irma's hands quickly went to her side then shouted,

"Hey, those are my twin daggers. Give them back. That's stealing".

Yue's smirk was a grin now and Anna's fast reply was, "Irma. Behave".

Ari replied calmly, "These are very fine daggers that belonged to Sarah. They are dangerous, not for a child to play with".

Irma, barely containing her anger, said "My mother passed away a year and half ago. She left those for me to train in the water dance style. They are very precious to me and I want them back." She demanded, hands out stretched. Instead of giving her daggers back, he started to laugh, a real loud and obnoxious laugh in Irma's opinion. A vein in Irma's temple's pulsated. Yue was enjoying every moment of this. Ari composed himself after awhile and looked at her amused.

"That was a really good one. But if you want to lie, think of a more believable story".

"That wasn't a lie." She shouted at him.

He studied her for a moment then smirked, "Tell you what? If you want me to believe you, you'll have to prove it. If you lose, I shall keep them as punishment for your lying. But if you win, I'll give the daggers back and even supervise your training like I did for your parents".

"Huh? What?" The last sentence caught Irma of guard.

"Do you accept the challenge or are you gonna admit that you're just a _little liar_?" Taunted the Banshee.

"Bring it on. I'll show you all that I'm not a liar." She shot back with determination.

_'Hook, line and sinker. This is gonna be soo good.'_ The Banshee thought with delight. Opposed to her was Anna's reaction. She put hand on her face and sighed.

"Clear the training ground." Ari said to his servant. Yue nodded, vanished for a moment, then came back smiling. He faced Irma with a smirk, "If you would follow me".

_'I'll show you. I'll wipe that smug out of your face. Just wait.'_ She thought angrily as she followed him into the training area, the floor made of dirt, with some target boards and straw dummies for practice scattered here and there, as well as some big trees with ropes hanging from the branches. It seemed that Yue had made an announcement of some sort when she went to clear the grounds. All of the troops have gathered around trying to get the best view. Even some soldiers and knights came to see what's going to happen. Ari took his position and ordered Irma to stand in front of him a few feet away. She did as told. She stood there with her chin held high, a confidante and determined look on her face. He turned to those near him, "Hand me two swords".

Two guys gave him two steel swords, their length about Irma's height. He held each with a hand and gave an experimental swing. He then held one sword and pointed its tip on her, his eyes fixed on her eyes. Though Irma's feature didn't falter, her heart was racing, just like her thoughts. _'What's he planning on doing? There's no way I can beat __**him**__. He's the one who trained my parents. Not to mention that I'm unarmed'_.

"Here we go." He said coldly and raised his sword high.

Irma's eye went wide with fear but made her trinket glow in anticipation, her speed was the only thing that can save her now. Just as his arm moved, she jumped to the right and turned around ready to jump again, when she heard the crowd all around her laugh. She felt confused and embarrassed as if she had done something wrong. She turned her gaze and noticed that Ari was standing in his spot, one arm held high, but no sword in his hand. He pointed his finger up. She followed where he pointed and saw the sword fixed in a big branch above him. She felt more confused than before. He gave her a smile.

"You're reflexes were great, nice jump you did there. But you didn't really think that I would fight you now, did you? It wouldn't be fair for you in any way. I want you to do the minimum test for entering my guild. Plant a sword in that branch." He pointed there one more time. Irma's mind took it's time to reboot and catch up with what's going on. She turned to Ari, then to the branch, then to Ari once again.

"Huh?" Ari moved to the lost girl and offered her the other sword he was holding.

"Show me the results of your training Irma." He said softly, and then added with a smirk "Though if you fail, I will keep your daggers".

She looked at him with narrow eyes and said in a low voice, "I really hate you". She took the sword from him, "I'll show you my training alright". With the tip of the sword on the ground, she walked, dragging her sword to where Ari threw his own. With all her strength, she raised the sword high above her head…and fell backwards, earning her a new round of laughter from the audience. She mumbled something under her breath and looked at the sword with annoyance. The sword was too long and heavy for her small frame to swing around, so throwing it high with some aim towards that branch would be more of a challenge than what she first thought. But she wasn't about to give up and let him have her daggers. She lifted the sword again and fell backwards, again. She tried to throw it up from the start, but it didn't go high enough. She looked at the branch, which seemed a lot more higher than what it really was_. _

_'I don't think I would reach it even If I jumped and throw it up. If only I can get super strong, or get tall enough then I would…'_

Suddenly she looked up at the branch then to the sword on the ground, concentration evident on her face. She turned to Ari, "All I have to do is let the sword go through that branch, right?" She asked.

"Yes, that's all." He answered.

She quickly ran to the tree and started to climb it till she reached the branch. Carefully she walked over it. With every step she took, the branch gave a sound. She kept moving till she got near where the sword penetrated the branch. She then stomped over that area while steadying herself with a branch from above. She stomped again and a crack was heard, but didn't fall. She stomped one last time and the branch fell to the ground along with the sword that Ari threw in.

_'Yes'._ She thought in triumph as she quickly made her way to the ground. She then lifted her sword a little and planted it in the fallen branch. She turned to Ari with a smug. "There. The sword is in the branch, just like you wanted".

A round of laughter started again but it made an abrupt stop when Ari held his hand up. His face was unreadable expression, eyes closed as he talked in a stony tone. "Do you think this is some kind of a show? I feel very disappointed." Irma was about to reply but her mouth hung open when Ari looked at her with a smile. He then turned and faced the crowd, "This time I'll let it slip, but the next time any of you mock one of my guild members, there will be consequences".

"This is what makes a great warrior." He said pointing a finger to his head, "What ensures your survival and your win in the end. Strength, agility and such are good, but having a sharp and creative mind is better. It covers your weakness and let you take advantage of what's around you".

Ari walked to Irma - who was still in awe, mouth hung open – and placed the daggers in her hands. "Welcome to our guild Irma".

Anna's clapping sounded filling the silence that followed, which got accompanied later with all guild members, as well as few of the knights, but the majority of the official army walked away cursing Irma and who supported her under their breath. "She is the devil's child. It is no wonder he would take her in. He took that damn Banshee before".

The said Banshee suddenly appeared right next to Anna startling the young woman. She was clapping lazily with a small smile on her face. "Now that she's a member, I can have her to myself and we'll have all kinds of fun together. Though, I would need your blessing, sorry your _**permission**_ for that. So when Ari asks, don't spoil it for me, kay?" False sugar coating her every word and she moved her hand across her neck in a slash motion then winked. As sudden as she appeared, she vanished, installing more fear into the poor lady.

"Wow, Lady Yue? You and your daughter got real guts to do that, you know." A bulky, bearded man near Anna gave her a slap on the back, "Wish you luck, you're damn gonna need it all, bowaa hahaha".

Anna watched as the man walked away laughing hard, along with a bunch of his friends. Before Anna could figure out what was going on, she saw her daughter coming to her in big over confidant strides, the twin daggers decorating her waist. Ari was moving behind her, chuckling at her exaggerated arm swings and strides. Anna shook her head, smiling at her daughter.

"I'm now an official part of the guild." Irma said with pride, "Whatever that means".

"I was going to ask you about that lord Ari." Anna turned to the said man, "What does your guild do exactly?"

He held up his hand, "That will take some time and I'm sure you are tired and want to rest after all that excitement that happened today".

"But you promised to train me." Irma interrupted the talk, "Besides, I'm not tired at all".

"I can fix that." Yue said, walking toward the small group, "All he promised is supervising your training, which would be under me." She pointed at the field behind her, "I want three labs in less than three minutes".

"What?" Irma looked confused.

"You're not going to-" Anna glared at the other woman. Though her heart was pounding strongly in her chest, she wouldn't let her fear show in her face. The blond woman spared a look at Anna, then looked back at her pupil interrupting her mid sentence.

"_Time is ticking_." The Banshee said it in a way, accompanied with the look that promised such a sweet fate, Irma yelped and ran like a mad girl.

"Use the silver or you won't make it in time." Shouted a fellow members.

"Don't disturb my training." Yue sent a jet of water at the guy, blasting him off the ground.

She smirked, "That's better. Now for Irma's punishment…" Her hand under her chin in a thinking manner.

"I still didn't agree on this." Anna said to Ari with an angry expression.

He raised one eyebrow, "She is the only who trains that style." He raised his hands before she can object, "And I will be watching over her training like I promised. No harm will be done to Irma. That, I can assure you". He turned to the gleeful trainer, "Right Yue?"

"Of course my lord." She said with an obviously fake courtesy bow. Ari Turned to Anna, "See? That's settled then. Anyway, I have other business to attend to." And left, not waiting for her response. Not able to do a thing, Anna sat down watching the training, fuming. Yue smirked for a second.

"As long as you don't interfere, I don't mind you keep watch." Then focused on her captive target, "Few seconds." She shouted with delight. Irma yelped again and gave it her all.

_'Oh I'm gonna enjoy this.'_ Was the only thing in Yue's mind at the moment, "You didn't make it in time..." She sang. Irma gulped.

_'Not tired…Me and my big mouth.'_ Was her thought.

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- (Caleb's interview) ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

_'Anna Lair said_

…_even though I have lost Tom when I reached Arkhanta, I gained something else. Irma, calling me mom, doing her all to ensure no harm is done to me, that was something new to me. Of course I was protective of her too, but seeing that your child, a stepdaughter no less, have this kind of feelings for you…I can't explain in words what it means to me…' _

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- (real life in the library) ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

"Ahmed?" Asked Alex when he saw his friend with a weird smile. Said friend turned to him, "I liked that Yue person, uh, thing, really knows how to get on your nerves." Then put a hand under his chin, as if thinking, "If only I can have that kind of effect on Alex, I could make him do all my homework".

"Ahmed?" The brown haired girl started, "He already does your homework".

----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ---------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

A.N : First of all, a shout of thank you to all the readers, and especially to XV-Dragon and Nadeer for reviewing the last chapter. No words express my gratitude for your support.

Also I welcome and thank all the new review people  , Zero, DeathSound and Starwin. Hope you all will continue with us. Hope you can see improvement in this chapter Starwin.

Lastly I have to thank Girl of Light Writer for betareading this chapter. Thanks a lot.

Okay now for some notes and a few rambling,

I'm terribly sorry for the late update. Real life tends to get in the way sometimes and writing takes the backseat. I also promised XV-Dragon that Cornelia will have an appearance this chapter, which was in the initial plan. After some editing and new ideas, it got pushed to the next chapter. You will see Cornelia in the next one, that is for sure. Sorry XV-Dragon.

As to the name 'Irma', It is a German name that really means 'universe / whole'. I twisted the meaning a little to 'water universe'. Not too far away from the real meaning, is it :P

I have a weird look to the sea don't you think? Ever thought of the sea like that ^^

For those who didn't read the comics, Ari is the main villain in the third Arc (kinda) along with Yue (his Banshee slave). He announced war on the Oracle and the guardians were sent in response.

With my finals coming near -28 Feb-, I can't give a date for the next update, but will try to update as soon as I could. Leave a review please. Thanks.


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